Victoria Ray NB

Africa’s warriors: women in folklore

Written by Nathaniel Postell Women are warriors! A fact that becomes abundantly clear by studying African legends and folklore. These fiercely independent women help shape the world, inspiring countless interpretations, even presenting themselves in recent pop-culture. The wildly successful Marvel Studios movie Black Panther features a group of gifted women warriors inspired by the Dahomey Amazons – an all-female military...

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Urmuz – the genius beneath the boffoon

Written by Andreea Padurean (Her Goodreads Profile – here) One of the most controversial figures of the Romanian Literature – Demetru Dem or Demetrescu-Buzău, known as Urmuz, a genius who left behind a literary work of 50 pages at most. His pen name (Urmuz) was interpreted in various ways, one of the attributed meanings being ‘I amuse’. And yes, he amused...

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Interview with Sabina Gabrielli Carrara

I managed to grab a quick word with Sabina Gabrielli Carrara, author of the murder mystery novels ‘Field of lies’ & ‘Black Souls’, for a short interview… Q: Why do you write? What motivates you to write? Sabina: Simply because I like it, I always did. Q: What kind of books did you love growing up? Sabina: As a child, I liked fantasy....

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Best horror books by Russian writers (19th century)

Everyone needs to experience Russian literature at some time… so why not now? 👻 #1 Nikolai Gogol and his awesome Viy – a horror novella, published in 1835. The title is also the name of the demonic creature, the main hero of the plot. Every summer, a large procession of students moving around the area as they travel home. However, the group...

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“The Story Grid”, Shawn Coyne #takeawaykeys

What your characters say they are is NOT who they are… What they do is the key. Shawn Coyne 1. Think in 5 principles, the bricks for any successful story:  TIME, SUBSTANCE, STYLE, STRUCTURE, CONTENT. 2. Learn your genre – there’s a great collection (with examples) of differences between each genre. I can’t mention them all (only some), but read...

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The anatomy of a thriller

Dan Brown’s masterclass #takeawaykeys  1. The most important stones to build a perfect thriller are: world the sole dramatic question a hero a goal obstacles a moment when a hero concurred a villain 2. Think 3 C’s First C – The Contract That promise you are making with the reader (do NOT break it!) Second C – The crucible Something...

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Book Review “The Contract: between heaven and earth,” John W. Howell, Gwen M. Plano

“Like flowers we grow, bloom, and whither – each day and each life. But although we blossom more grandiose in each new life, all our lives are perfect in their own way.” Stefan Emunds Unpredictable Mysterious Intriguing On the surface it looks like the usual thriller, but if you look deeper inside, you’ll find a kick-ass paranormal fantasy. Just imagine...

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