Mothers and Daughters
Four Generations
While I normally devote my blog to writing and bookish matters, we’ve had something so special happening in our family that I feel compelled to mention it. My lovely daughter had twin girls four weeks ago, and they have been a blessing and joy ever since. The babies are fraternal, not identical, though it’s easy to confuse them, especially in the middle of the night when passing them around for clean diapers and burping.
Holding a small, warm baby close to the heart is one of the most… Continue reading
How an Opening Changes over 8 Revisions
When I met up with an old friend this weekend, she asked how a novel could go through 10 or more revisions and what that looks like. She was really interested in the nitty-gritty. Explaining my process often makes me aware of how messy it is, how unlike the organized planning, outlining and drafting that my friend was expecting. I do outline, but not until after I have a rough draft, and then I routinely throw out large chunks and rewrite new ones.
Her questions made me wonder how I… Continue reading
Writing of Tunnels
The Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns
When my characters descend into tunnels deep under the earth, I go along with them, craving sunlight the whole way. The silence and darkness under dense layers of stone, the cool, heavy air that sinks into my lungs, and the sense of endless, geological time all oppress and fascinate me.
Carlsbad Cavern National Park, New Mexico
I visited Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico last year, fulfilling a life-long dream, and now I recall those deep spaces whenever I send a character underground.
I relive… Continue reading
First Pass Pages for Keep of Ages
First Pass Pages for Keep of Ages
My first pass pages came this weekend, and now I’m going over the manuscript once more on paper to write in any last changes. It’s a good way to catch small, subtle things, like if I have too many descriptions of sunlight on one page, or if I use “grim” too frequently. I have to be careful, of course, because if I add a head dipping motion as someone crosses beneath a laundry line, I need to be sure it doesn’t double up… Continue reading
Happy Library Week!
We’re nearing the end of National Library Week, and this year’s theme is “Libraries Transform.” Indeed they do. Our local Mansfield Library Express has recently opened a reading room for patrons to enjoy, and readers can have any books in the system delivered there for easy pick up.
I love the luxury of a good library book and knowing I can give it back when I’m done. I could never house all the books I read, but with a library card, I can access anything I want.
If… Continue reading
Alice in France
Alice in France: The World War I Letters of Alice M. O’Brien, Edited by Nancy O’Brien Wagner
My grandaunt Alice M. O’Brien volunteered with the Red Cross during World War 1 and wrote letters home detailing her experiences building a car, serving in canteens, driving for supplies, and caring for wounded soldiers in the hospitals. She reports regularly of the bombs flying overhead and the courage of the allied troops in vivid, telling prose.
My sister, historian Nancy O’Brien Wagner, has edited Alice’s letters, annotated them with pertinent historical facts,… Continue reading
Ari & Milo, my serial novel, is now up on Wattpad! I drew illustrations to go with each chapter, and best of all, it’s free! Because of problematic themes, this novel is for mature readers age 17+.
Book Trailer for Promised