Barbara Fradkin's Blog, page 43

Voice Recording

 by Charlotte HingerThis is going to be a really short not so sweet blog. I was asked to record my short story, Lizzie Noel, and I thought that would be a very simple process. Ha!It would have been simple if I knew what I was doing. However, as usual I naively assumed it was a piece of cake. To begin with, I decided that the best approach would be to use the Voice Memo app on my iPhone. This

I want them all. I want the...

 Earlier this week, I hosted a guys' night at a local theater to watch on the big screen, the 70s classic, The Warriors.Though I've heard of the movie, I'd never seen it before. In many ways, it didn't disappoint, being the cheesy, low-budget popcorn thriller people talked about. Plenty of contrived moments, like when the gang members are on the run for their lives, yet they stop to pick up girls

Favorite (And Least Favorite) Things About Writing

 by Sybil Johnson I’ve been thinking lately about what I do and don’t like about writing. Overall it’s a big like, otherwise I wouldn’t bother writing at all. But, pretty much like everything else I’ve done, there are things I’m not particularly enamored of.I don’t know if this is just me but, no matter how much I like doing something, there’s always a part that makes me groan just a little.

What in the World?

 by Charlotte HingerI'm going through a novel, tightening wherever possible, and discovered the strangest thing. I dislike the construction of "said he" rather than "he said." But the "said he" usage is throughout my book. I have no idea how that happened, or why I didn't notice it. Thanks to the power of global searches, I will simply ask Word to find "said" and look at how it's used. Of course,

Our First Ever Local Writers' Conference

I’m excited that the Carteret Writers Network is gearing up for its first Writers Conference taking place on Saturday, April 15 from 8:30 to 5:30 at a lovely location called Carolina Home and Garden in Newport, North Carolina here on the coast. I’ve attended large conferences (Thrillerfest, Bouchercon), mid-sized conferences (North Carolina Writers Conference, The Virginia Festival of the Book)

Proofing and Public SpeakingBy Johnny D. BoggsYesterday w...

Proofing and Public SpeakingBy Johnny D. BoggsYesterday was one of those days I dread.First, I had to get the final proof of a forthcoming novel for Kensington titled Longhorns East – shameless self-promotion – back to the production manager.That’s never fun. Well, it’s fun to know that you’ll have a book coming out – in September – but that also leads to all sorts of stress.Did I hit my goal? …

Research

Left Coast Crime 2023 Hello, Dear Readers. I (Donis) am not really here today. I am in Tucson Arizona at Left Coast Crime. This is a rather alarming thing for me, since I haven't been in a large group setting for three years and I'm not sure I remember how to interact with others. I suppose I have to start sometime!One fun thing I'm doing is participating in a live panel on Friday (St. Patrick's

Being old has its perks

 There are times when I'm glad I'm as old as I am and raised my children in the era before mobile phones, let alone smart phones and social media. Internet technology and communications has changed our lives in extraordinary, unimaginable ways since I made my first phonecall at the age of seven on my parents' one black rotary phone, that sat in the kitchen attached to a long, easily tangled cord.

Black History

 by Charlotte HingerWall Hanging by Kyle OdumI'm on the board of directors for the Nicodemus Historical Society. I know a lot about Nicodemus, Kansas. Oklahoma University Press published my academic book about the town, and Five Star published a novel centered on this historic settlement. Last summer I attended the annual Homecoming Event and purchased this wall hanging made one of the

This and That

 by Sybil JohnsonI missed my last post because I was in the Seattle area. Not much of an excuse, I know. I couldn’t think of anything to talk about before I left... Weather there was actually quite nice, much better than the storm that passed through Southern California while I was gone. I was quite happy to be out of town and even happier when I got home and found the house still in one piece.