On Writing

Options in Dani’s Decision

Dani’s Decision took place in 1971, Mississippi, two years before the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. These were the options available to women with an unwanted pregnancy: Mississippi did not permit legal abortions. Women with financial means could travel to other...

Reactions to Dani’s Pregnancy

When I was managing my computer business, I developed a program that tracked patients’ progress after a traumatic brain injury. One section was entitled ‘The Patient’s Constellation.’ The constellation consisted of their family members, friends, and others that were...

Reader Assumptions

Dani’s Decision left specific parts of the story to the reader’s imagination because I wanted to challenge assumptions. It has been fascinating for me to receive feedback from early readers. I do not describe the assailant in detail until late in the book. We know he...

The Inspiration Behind Dani’s Decision

I had not planned a book such as Dani’s Decision. I was happily humming along, writing books that take place in Ireland, particularly incorporating historical events into the lives of my characters. But a chance conversation caused me to place my latest Irish-themed...

Using History to Change the Future

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” -- novelist George Santayana (1863-1952) Those words have been repeated innumerable times in countless variations. Authors are in a unique position of bringing history to the masses, not in...

Change the World With Your Writing

I am pleased to announce that I will be writing a series of articles for Southern Writers Magazine in 2020 and 2021. The series is entitled Changing the World with Your Writing. As authors, we have the choice of writing material purely for entertainment...

Minor Characters and Decisions Made

I’ve devoted several articles to the journey of the hero, but often what makes a book so memorable are the peripheral characters. Years ago when I was developing software, I created a program for working with brain injured patients; part of their successful journey...

How Stressful Events Make Great Books

Conflict always drives fiction. In real life, we may wish for things to fall into place easily, days go by smoothly, and relationships unfold effortlessly. But in fiction, nothing can be easy—because easy equates to boring. Watch the video below or skip to the text...

Closure and the Hero

One major way in which fiction differs from reality is with closure. Readers need to have most of their questions answered by the end of the book or they feel dissatisfied. In reality, a lack of closure is commonplace and often leads to a great deal of angst.   A...

The Hero: Confronting the Inner Saboteur

Our heroes often feel larger than life: Ian Fleming’s James Bond, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Daisy Buchanan, Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta or Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone.   But in reality, most heroes are filled with self-doubt at one...