While this is not exactly the position I used to be in, if any of you had caught me as a young girl, but this is what I would be doing. Reading. I am one of those who used the flashlight under the blanket before we had Nooks and Kindles and iPads … with backlighting. I am an unabashed and total bibliophile and proud of it. A friend came into my office and kept looking behind me. Finally he said, “you sure… Continue reading →
I received an email from someone who said that Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai had passed her husband’s “test.” That got me to thinking. In my critique group, we are equally diverse: psychological suspense, science fiction, cozy mysteries, and historical fiction. So how can we critique each other? I think we do it by looking at the pieces, of which you can pick up any book on writing and find a whole bunch, but also by keeping the pieces together as one whole. That… Continue reading →
I want to share with you a line from one of my poems: Sexism is the last racism What do I mean by this? Sexism has proved itself to be the last bastion of prejudice. From the first question we ask when babies are born, “boy or girl?” to the language we speak, the way we act (which for my money is also language), to legal and political rights and privileges. This is every country, every nation, everywhere. male forms If you’re questioning this, good.… Continue reading →
A friend of mine and I were talking about gratitude. Who doesn’t at this time of year? She’s been reading Dr. Rick Hanson’s books and she summarized what he said about exactly HOW we can be grateful with ABC: A be mindful of your ASSETS B be aware of the BEAUTIFUL C take in how people CARE about you I love mnemonics and I really like this one. A—be mindful of your ASSETS Thanks to everyone who attended or shared… Continue reading →
If you’re a reader or a writer, unforgettable characters are what we look for and strive for. Since late Heian Japan (12th century), people have been drawn to the extraordinary Tomoe Gozen, female samurai and wife of Minamoto no Yoshinaka.(above) These past couple of days I have been validated on this CHARACTER point several times: 1. Sunday, December 1, 2013 the New York Times Magazine has an article called, “The Big Picture Strikes Back.” I won’t sum it up for you, I think it’s better… Continue reading →
#3 in Historical Fiction—SIMPLICITY in the history, COMPLICATIONS in the story! I usually detest genealogies and long family trees with lots of names I cannot keep track of. I placed the genealogies of the Taira, Minamoto and the Imperial families in the back of my book, because some people need, want, and perhaps like these things. (I’m not one of them, usually. Except when I am trying to learn them to write my story.) I understand about different learning and reading styles, with my graduate… Continue reading →
2. THE STORY What do all of these have in common: Alison Weir, Anne Perry, Ann Woodward, Laura Joh Rowland, Stephen Saylor, Elizabeth Peters, Mary Renault, the early Jean Auel, Philippa Gregory, James Melville and Diana Gabaldon? THE STORY. Amazing plot-driven, character-driven, conflict-driven, history-driven, stories. The STORY is what draws me into historical fiction and the historical background is what keeps me there. IF the history is accurate (See my previous post) i.e. no anachronisms, or egregious errors. I was reading a… Continue reading →
There are four characteristics I value in historical fiction. I’ll be talking about each one in the next few posts. 1. Most important for me is ACCURACY. I truly like the facts to be correct. For example, I noticed that Harlequin Romances was advertising for historical romance. Great. I know a little (okay, a lot) about the late Heian period. BUT. But, I am familiar with their standards. The way the romances are supposed to go—is nowhere near the path the romances of the Heian… Continue reading →
The Japanese, especially in the Heian period and perhaps later, world we would call superstitious. Like Western Europeans they believe that illness could be caused by “bad spirits” and that their minute actions could cause disastrous consequences not only for themselves but for others. Naturally they would turn to the Seven Gods of Luck, displayed above and below. As I write this I take out a special package friend of mine gave me in which I keep buttons. But these buttons have the faces of… Continue reading →
While I haven’t been everywhere, I have been on the road. I personally want to thank all the people with whom I spoke. I had a marvelous time! And if you did happen to purchase Pillow Book of the Flower Samurai and have a comment, question or concern, please write me. Special kudos to my husband who took the pictures and followed me around carrying lots of stuff. He is a great playmate and I am grateful for him every day. … Continue reading →