Darker Still is a beautifully written book with lyrical prose wrapped in a Victorian setting where language is the paramount vehicle for communication and ironically where the heroine is mute.  Author Leanna Renne Hieber has created a wondrous world where mystery, mayhem and magic abound. Where a young woman on the cusp of becoming an adult is open to the all the untold possibilities the world has to offer; and where faith, courage and love are the touchstones needed to face the next step in her journey. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE B&N HEART TO HEART BLOG.

Life is happening at warp speed these days, and although I would like to, making long term commitments isn’t always feasible. Sometimes sticking it out for years and years with a certain hero and heroine or a group of brothers or sisters just doesn’t fit into my busy lifestyle. So rather than committing to ten or more books in a series I sometimes opt for the trilogy. Trilogies are great; they have the best of both possible worlds. They have a continuing story arc but don’t take a decade or more to resolve. The underlying action, tension or mystery along with the characters carries the story arc throughout each book and I know that by the end of book three I’ll have all my questions answered.  It’s a short term…

Suzanne Brockmann and Ed Gaffney

In the final installment of my interview with Suzanne Brockmann we find out  what its like being married to another author, what’s next in the Troubleshooters series and her new series Final Destiny.

BEING MARRIED TO AN AUTHOR
Author Suzanne Brockmann is married to novelist Ed Gaffney, and they have collaborated on numerous projects, from the off Broadway play Looking for Billy Haines, to the upcoming movie The Perfect Wedding, which they co-wrote and produced. Before I sat down to interview Ms. Brockmann at the 2011 NJRWA conference, she introduced me to her parents, her son Jason and husband Ed.  Throughout the conference I got to see this family in action. Their love and support for one another in every smile, gesture and word is nothing short of…

In the second part of my interview with author Suzanne Brockmann we talk about her book “All Through the Night” and a  favorite character in the Troubleshooters series.

ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT WAS A LABOR OF LOVE

Author Suzanne Brockmann is a gay rights activist with a strong commitment to working towards a time when everyone has the freedom of choice. For many years she has worked with several organizations, including MassEquality, to achieve this goal.

Before the book All Through the Night was even a thought in her head, there were significant political happenings in the state of Massachusetts. One state, she said “where people can marry the person they love.”  At the time, a ballot to stop marriage equality was initiated and going up for a vote in the state legislature.…

She is a proud mother, devoted daughter, loving wife, advocate and prolific writer – and these are some of the same qualities we see in her characters. Her ability to take the things that are important to her and make them fiction – make them fantastical – is what makes her books so special. She is Suzanne Brockmann and she is constantly redefining normal.

“Redefining normal”. These are her words. And as I spent an hour talking to her about her life and work I understood that it takes a huge commitment to not only entertain but to slowly introduce and bring to the forefront of her reader’s consciousness the issues that she most cares about. READ FULL ARTICLE ON B&N HEART TO HEART BLOG.

Imagine a computer screen with a blank page and that infernal cursor continually blinking. That’s the starting point for all authors. Putting words into sentences and sentences into paragraphs while creating just the right tension, drama and romance so that the reader is intrigued and will keep turning the pages is no easy feat.  It’s takes discipline to sit alone in front of a blank page while your characters chatter away waiting for you to write words that will allow them to spring into action and have purpose and meaning, conflict and resolution and of course dialogue that is interesting and dynamic. Well this weekend I didn’t have to imagine it, I got an in depth look at how authors begin this journey and stay the course, and I have…