I love historical fiction. I love learning new things as I read for pleasure–especially about places and events of the past. This year promises to add to my bookshelves (and to my audible library). Kate Morton’s upcoming release in April–her first novel in five years–ranks as my #1 must-read. Below are some popular lists of…

Season’s greetings! I was honored to be invited among 25 authors to provide a short essay on my family holiday traditions. Ashley Hasty is such an interesting blogger: she lives in Chicago, loves sharing her favorite books, teaches fashion history, enjoys art museums, and together with her hubby has a new baby boy! I’ve linked…

I’m so excited that my second novel is officially released! One of the earliest inspirations for writing this book was the idea of having an old vintage car stored away someplace–and to have an object hidden in it that gets discovered almost a hundred years later.  My research led me to the “motorcar” that you…

When I first started writing years ago–alone in an upstairs bedroom with no critique partners, beta readers, or book deals–I had no clue how my life would one day be enriched by the writing community at large. I’ve made so many friends with fellow authors, readers, and teachers who take their time to support us…

I like to relax outside and read in the spring. If you do, too, here are some books that I’m glad I picked up. You might check them out! Woman on Fire by Lisa Barr I loved this book! Set mainly in modern day, the story surrounds a painting that the Nazis stole from Jews–and…

These books will publish in the first half of 2022 and have had me losing sleep for months! I CANNOT wait to read them! And their book covers could not be more gorgeous.   Coming January 4, 2022, Beautiful Little Fools borrows its title from a line in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. And…

I love listening to books while taking a morning walk, lounging by the pool, or driving to the store. The audio narrations of these four novels recently blew me away. Surviving Savannah is historical fiction based on the real-life sinking of the Pulaski in 1838. After undertaking exhaustive research, author Patti Callahan brings this story…

Maggie Shipstead’s Great Circle is everything I crave in a novel with multiple timelines. 1) Unforgettable characters who are strong, vulnerable, sassy, wounded, and flawed but who dare to dream. 2) A fascinating historical thread–in this case, Prohibition and the early era of women’s flight. 3) Tension, love, insight and a view of what society…

Years ago, a friend said to me, “You’re a planner. You have to stop all this researching and make a plan to write that book.” She was right. Some authors call it “going down the rabbit hole of research.” Historical fiction novelists can be history nerds–and I’m one who LOVES doing the research. My novel…

What do these three novels of historical fiction have in common? They’re not set in WWII? Right. The authors are among my favorites? Yes. And the characters will fight for survival in the face of a natural disaster? Correct. Indeed, I’m guessing that Mother Nature herself becomes a character in these books. Melanie Benjamin’s recent…