Though I enjoy being swept away in a good biography and love the way poetry transports to realms of emotion, sometimes evokes a belly-laugh, and even the urge to toe-tap along, my biggest pleasure as a reader is to get lost in great adult fiction. Adult fiction is also my biggest challenge as a writer.… Continue reading My favorite genre
Happy New Year! Welcome to the first post in the Freelance Writer's Almanac series. Today we start a new year. It's interesting to look back and see what happened 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago with a view to remembering, reflecting on, and perhaps writing about these things. Of course if you choose to… Continue reading Freelance Writer’s Almanac – January 2014
Here in the Lower Mainland of B.C. we haven't had a drop of rain for all of July. This is a record for the first calendar month ever without any rain recorded at the Vancouver weather station! By now lawns that aren't watered are looking brown and thirsty. Forest fires are a very real threat… Continue reading August prompt: rain
East of Eden by John Steinbeck My rating: 5 of 5 stars This isn’t a proper review, just a list of things I noticed / liked / disliked about the Salinas Valley California family saga East of Eden by John Steinbeck. The book started out like books written in the middle of last century do—slowly,… Continue reading East of Eden (review)
It's July and the season of flowers where I live. One look through my photo collection will show you how much I like them (maybe it's because I'm named after a flower!). Not many flowers are mentioned in the Bible, though, but there are a few.. For example: The shape of almond blossoms was to… Continue reading July prompt: flowers
The landscape is changing with the coming of spring. A big part of this change is brought about by the blossoming and leafing of trees. Almost overnight a row of dull brown twigs becomes a lively green canopy that gives shade, privacy, and beauty. You can't help but notice trees in the spring. There are… Continue reading May prompt: tree
Journey by Angela Elwell Hunt My rating: 5 of 5 stars Suspicion and jealousy cause a rift between Yosef's sons Efrayim and Menashe when grandfather Yakov speaks a firstborn blessing over second-born Efrayim in Angela Hunt's biblical fiction Journey. This schism is magnified by their dissimilar personalities. Menashe is serious, brooding, and intense while Efrayim… Continue reading Journey by Angela Hunt (review)
'Valentine's Day' in my novel Destiny's Hands comes on the day the Israelites celebrate their final defeat of the Egyptians after they cross the Red Sea. In the story Moses leads in a celebration dance and main character Bezalel joins in. Then he looks on as Miriam leads the women in their part of the… Continue reading Love at first sight?
It's February and time for another writing prompt. With Valentine's Day quickly approaching let's explore love! The Bible is full of love stories. Isaac found his love, Rebekah, through a marriage arranged by his dad (Genesis 24:1-67). Jacob knew whom he loved, but found his cagey father-in-law knew better, at least in the how to… Continue reading February prompt: love is in the air
Happy New Year and welcome to our first monthly writing prompt! This month the challenge is to write about a NEW START. Lots of Bible characters had new starts, similar to the types of new starts we experience (though I don't recall any of them celebrating the new year...) Noah and his family had a… Continue reading January prompt: new start
Violet Nesdoly 