A Man In Search Of A Ring (Or Is He?)

Posted on July 10, 2019 by admin

No New Beginnings “None of them jumps out at me.” Joe glanced at his phone. Nearly eleven. He’d spent hours researching online over the weekend, so he hadn’t thought finding the right ring would take more than forty-five minutes. An hour at most. Now he worried he’d be empty-handed tonight. He had lunch plans with a new client at twelve-thirty and a conference call after that. He could fit in more shopping late in the day, but he needed to stop at the grocery store, too. To get steaks for...

4-Book Box Set, 5 More Days, 99 Cents (Sale On Awakening Series)

Posted on June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 by admin

Limited Time Sale This week The Awakening Complete Supernatural Thriller Series is on sale at a special price. If you haven't finished series yet (or started it for that matter) it's a great time to get it. The ebook editions of the complete 4-book series are 99 cents through Sunday, June 30, 2019. Kindle Kobo Nook Apple GooglePlay If you'd like a doorstop (or just love print), feel free to check out the paperback edition (but sorry, that's not 99 cents). Then And Now I finished ...

Technology And How A Thirty-Something Character Grocery Shops

Posted on June 19, 2019 by admin

I have a problem with technology. And age. Quille, the main character in my current mystery/suspense series (the Q.C. Davis series) is nearly 20 years younger than me. Because of that age difference, she almost certainly uses technology differently than I do. Not only in her law practice but in her day-to-day life. Including when she shops. So today, all in the interest of character research, I checked out Amazon Go. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made t...

Happiness, Anxiety, and Writing: Using Your Creativity To Live A Calmer, Happier Life

Posted on June 12, 2019August 21, 2020 by admin

I struggled with anxiety for a long time before I saw the connection to creativity. The relationship between the two finally hit me while plotting the first book in my Awakening series. To figure out challenges for my protagonist, I kept asking What If? What If she's determined to go to medical school and discovers she's pregnant despite never having had sex? What If her parents, usually supportive, think she's in denial about her situation? What If when she persists in her "story" they t...

Chicago Printers Row Lit Fest on June 8, 2019

Posted on June 5, 2019 by admin

Please join me at Chicago's 35th Annual Printers Row Lit Fest under the Chicago Writers Association Tent on Dearborn Street between Polk and Harrison (around 730 S. Dearborn). I'll be there from 10 a.m. to 12:30 on Saturday, June 8, 2019. The fest itself continues all day Saturday and Sunday. Tons of books, demonstrations, and events. You'll find the The Charming Man, the latest Q.C. Davis mystery (set in Chicago), my entire Awakening supernatural thriller series (with the new covers),...

The Hunger Games: And Still Men Talk More (Women & Men in the Movies No. 11)

Posted on March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and how they interact with other characters, in the 2012 dystopian thriller The Hunger Games, one of my favorite films. And books for that matter. (You can find out more about the 3 tests I'll use in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) The Story In the future a wealthy capitol city governs twelve districts that once rebelled against it. As payback, the Capitol requires each district to draw names of one boy and one girl—called Tributes—ea...

The Corner of Ida B. Wells and Wells

Posted on February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 by admin

In a scene in my novel The Worried Man, main character Q.C. Davis becomes disoriented. She uses Congress Parkway as her guide to get back home. Chicago recently renamed that street Ida B. Wells Drive. The name change reflects changing times, yet shows how slowly change occurs. The City And The Street The short street now known as Ida B. Wells Drive forms the border between downtown Chicago and the Printers Row neighborhood just south of downtown where I live. It's a street a lot of C...

Smarter Characters Than Authors?

Posted on January 2, 2019 by admin

As a reader, I often wonder how much of the characters I love are based on their authors' lives. I imagine Sara Paretsky as an outspoken champion of those who struggle, just as is her character V.I. Warshawski. I wonder whether John Sandford has a lot in common with Lucas Davenport, the main character in his Prey novels. (Maybe better if he doesn't, depending which one you're reading.) I wish I could live in Three Pines and want to visit the town in Canada Louise Penny modeled it after. ...

Release of The Charming Man: A Blizzard, A Killer, A Missing Woman

Posted on December 19, 2018 by admin

The Charming Man (Q.C. Davis 2) It's new release week for the latest novel in the Q.C. Davis suspense/mystery series. As a blizzard rages through Chicago, a killer lurks in the halls of an isolated apartment complex on the river's edge. And Quille must find a missing woman before it's too late. Buy Today: Kindle Nook Apple Books Kobo Google Play Paperback P.S. Haven't read Book 1, The Worried Man, yet? You can start with The Charming Ma...

The Protagonist Might Be Anyone In Transcendence (Women & Men in the Movies No. 10)

Posted on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018 by admin

This week I’ll look at how women are portrayed, and how they interact with other characters, in the science fiction thriller Transcendence. (Find out more about 3 tests I’ll use to guide the conversation in Women, Men, and Movies or just read on.) Spoiler Warning: I usually try not to spoil any major plot points in my articles. For Transcendence, however, I found that particularly difficult. The conversational topics often require revealing aspects of the plot. If you want to watch the...