Book Description from Goodreads: Weeks after her husband dies in the midst of an affair in 2016, Chicago writer Susan Peterson, 48, seeks solace on a California vacation with her mother Elizabeth and daughter Amanda. The novelist, however, finds more than she bargained for when she meets a professor who possesses the secret of time … Continue reading Book Review: Mercer Street
Tag: Historical Fiction
Every fictional novel not set in contemporary times requires world-building. You might be able to "cheat," as it were, and do it via extensive research about what a past time period was like, rather than creating a brand new realm, but the situation is similar. Either way, the details are what sets your story apart. … Continue reading The Secrets to World-Building #amwriting #atozchallenge
Description courtesy of the author: A sweeping, coming of age love story set in the Pacific Northwest on the brink of WWII. Rejected by classmate and accomplished swing dancer Sally Springs, high school quarterback Raleigh Starr remains desperate to win her heart. While walking home on Thompson Road, Raleigh catches sight of Mona Garrison, dancing … Continue reading Book Review: Thompson Road
I've been doing a great deal of reading lately, thanks to pulling my hamstring recently and spending a lot of time on the sofa (special thanks to all the family members who've been helping me out with my kids during this time: you all are amazing!). And, in my reading binge, I've been reading a … Continue reading A Guide to the Stock Plots of Georgette Heyer
Others were around, In and out of her life, Yet her point never wavered, Her arrow never budged. And then he came And suddenly she's all alive, eyes shining. She drops everything for him: Her handkerchief, Her gloves, Her fan. Activities are forgotten, Dreams overlooked, Pursuits abandoned. Now a word, a look Will be enough. … Continue reading Her Lodestar
I just finished a recently-published historical fiction novel, set in England in the time of Jane Austen and most of Georgette Heyer’s books. It had a great premise, but the execution was…flawed. And not for glaring historical flaws. The costumes, the plot events, and the characters had a studied feel to them. I felt like … Continue reading Back When We Still Cared
It’s impossible to read anything without baggage—preconceived ideas and expectations. When we encounter words like “store,” “study,” or even “street,” our ideas of those places are informed by our experiences and culture…and from the perceived genre of the book. In our minds, a street in a piece of historical fiction will probably not be the … Continue reading Reading with Baggage
Andrea Lundgren 