I spoke with Sabina Gabrielli Carrara, the author of The Last Witch, about her tricky plot progression, whether she hates this century or no, and what comes next. CAUGHT BETWEEN MYSTERY and CRIME 1: We tend to know you as the author of the blog Truly Madly Ordinary and thriller/crime novels Field of Lies and Black Souls. At the end of...
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Book Review. Eternal Road: The Final Stop by John W. Howell
Time is endless in thy hands, my lord. There is none to count thy minutes. Rabindranath Tagore The idea of eternity as it relates to God is an essential concept in any religion. We all know that God is eternally existent = God exists outside the human concept of time, but also inside of time. If eternity can be as...
Continue reading...Book Review. My GRL, by John W. Howell
Editorial reviews: When life lands a hammer blow in your face, the best way to respond is to buy a book by John W. Howell. Or all of them! Swipe-Up Dallas Review The bodies of the three men were found in my apartment yesterday. I’d like to invite John W. Howell to solve the crime. It will make my day....
Continue reading...Shame-less by Nadia Bolz-Weber
(nonfiction) #takeawaykeys If we can share our story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can’t survive. Brené Brown, Daring Greatly Alert! Long post, if you can’t read it now, save for later! This book is for women who are almost-enough, who are struggling every day of their lives to be perfect, to deliver the image of the...
Continue reading...10 Eye-Opening Writing Rituals from Great Writers
The author should die once he has finished writing. So as not to trouble the path of the text. Umberto Eco The truth is (social distancing or not), I am still a very disorganised author. How could I publish so many books? 🤨 I don’t know. That’s why I’m diving in into some rituals of the greatest, in hope to learn a...
Continue reading...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...
Continue reading...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...
Continue reading...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....
Continue reading...Book Review: “Left Waiting”, River Dixon
Foreword: This is a poetry book. I often hear the words, “I hate poetry,” “I don’t understand poetry,” “Poetry is so boring”… and yes, I agree – poetry is a very subjective art, just like paintings: some love Dali, some love Ruben. I just want to remind you about the time when you were a kid and your parents bought...
Continue reading...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...
Continue reading...“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...
Continue reading...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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