Vanessa Grant's Blog, page 23

Writing and publishing in 2011, Penwarriors, and the power of pull

EC Sheedy's blog postings always make me think, and her latest Penwarriors.com posting is no exception EC's "THE SIDE EFFECTS OF WRITING" got me thinking once again about the universe of publishing, writing, and the tangle of "empowerment + uncertainty" that the explosion of indie publishing has brought to modern writers. I replied to EC's post [...]

A Discovery of Witches – Deborah Harkness' fascinating world

Last week, sitting in Oxford University's atmospheric Bodleian Library, Dr. Diana Bishop and I brushed fingers over an ancient manuscript … and slipped into the compelling enchantment of Deborah Harkness's "A Discovery of Witches."  Harkness drew me more deeply under her spell as she threw each new challenge at her compelling heroine, Diana, a witch [...]

When Love Returns – a sample

… a sample from When Love Returns, by Vanessa Grant Chapter One Three steps toward the summer house, Julie realized she had forgotten to roll up the windows and lock her car. Nothing new in that, she admitted wryly. Years ago, David had once lectured her about carelessness until she cried. The heels of her [...]

With Strings Attached – a sample

… a sample from With Strings Attached, by Vanessa Grant Chapter One Happy birthday, Molly.  The cabin's yours, but get out there right away.  I've left Trouble with food for a day or two, that's all. Pack up on a moment's notice?  Drive three thousand miles in a tearing hurry to rescue a cat!  No [...]

Awakening Dreams – a sample

a sample from Awakening Dreams by Vanessa Grant Chapter One For a second, as she came through the door into the unadorned office, she had the impossible thought that the man behind the counter was David. The illusion was fleeting, a product of that first glimpse of the stranger's dark, luxuriously curling hair. When he [...]

The Garbage Can Test for Writers

EC Sheedy Tweeted me this afternoon about today's blog, asking, "Are you doing the "garbage can? A little bit scary for writers, that one " Although "scary" (and I do agree!), the Garbage Can Test has always come through for me. So, on request from a recent email conversation between Pen Warriors, here's the Garbage Can [...]

Mary Ann Shaffer Makes Potato Peel Pie delicious!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows My rating: 4 of 5 stars Slipping gently into the enchanting story world of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", I'm falling under the spell of authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. The story is told through [...]