Deborah Adams's Blog, page 31

Is Climate Change Good For The Economy?

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental MagazineDear EarthTalk: Is climate change actually good for the economy, given all the clean-up/restoration jobs severe weather is creating and the employment surges in green energy? – P.B., New Haven, CT

Strangely enough, climate change does produce jobs and boost the economy as we struggle to make ourselves more resilient to its ravages. Some would argue that the renewable energy sector owes much of its success to the clim...

Researching the historical novel, a guest post by Jenna Jackson

How did people reheat meals before there were microwaves? How did they communicate before telephones? How did they tend to personal hygiene or keep up with celebrity gossip? Jenna Jackson, author of The Widow’s Christmas Surprise, is here to explain how to learn what you need to know in order to write that historical novel. Afterward, you can read an excerpt and enter the giveaway (Jenna will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter.)

Doing research for ...

Shannon O’Gorman ~ Three Questions & a Cover

Today my guest is Shannon O’Gorman, author of Rose Hawthorne: The Irish Wanders, which follows Rose, a celebrity author in her early seventies, who dislikes the limelight but does like Hermes scarfs, round violet sunglasses, and old colonial hotels. One day, she receives a letter asking her to visit Newgrange, Ireland and discover something that has been hidden there for a thousand years.

Can you give us a sneak peek at your next project? 

As the morning mist gradually cleared, barefoo...

Reptiles on the Ropes

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: How are reptiles faring these days in the face of climate change and other environmental threats? — L.M. Smith, Boston, MA

Reptiles, like other animals and plants, face growing threats as human influence on the environment increases. Certain reptiles are especially threatened; some 61 percent of turtles are threatened or extinct. Tracking the exact consequences of human activity on reptiles, however, has ...

Interview with author M. N. Grenside

Mark Grenside isn’t your average literature major turned novelist. No, no, no. This guy has the sort of background that most fictional characters would envy. Also he’s super-generous with his advice to other writers. Thanks, Mark, for fitting this interview into your schedule!

What’s the hardest scene you’ve ever written?

The next one! I never plan out a chapter except for the ‘lanterns’ needed to move the story forward. Your goal is always to move the story along. Each chapter mus...

How green is your fuel?

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental MagazineDear EarthTalk: Are oil companies actually taking steps to cut emissions overall or are their claims mostly just “greenwashing”? – J.B.S., Waukesha, WI

It’s no secret that the climate crisis is intensifying and the world is looking for solutions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in its latest report that we are facing a “code red” for humanity if we are unable to make substantive changes. Accor...

Interview with A. A. Abbott

One of my goals for this website is to provide helpful advice to writers at all stages of their careers. I love it when I can share these interviews with successful authors, especially when the guest is as informative and entertaining as A. A. Abbott. Thanks, Helen, for making room for this in your busy schedule.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? How old were you when you wrote your first book?

As a child, I was often taken on long car journeys. Although I’m a Brit,...

Should Tribes Take Back The National Parks?

EarthTalk® From the Editors of E – The Environmental MagazineDear EarthTalk: What’s up with efforts by Native Americans to take back the national parks?

— C. Woodend, Brea, CA

Prior to white settlement, as many as 15 million Indigenous people inhabited what would come to be called the contiguous United States; by the 1890s only about 250,000 remained. Today, roughly five million Native Americans live in the Lower 48, but they control only about two percent of the lands. Recently tri...

Writing Advice from Colleen Story

Author Colleen Story visited this blog once before, and shared her guest post Your Writing Matters: How to Banish Self-Doubt, Trust Yourself, and Go the Distance. Today I’ve got the privilege of interviewing her, and I think you’ll find her answers inspiring, educational, and motivational.

What books do you recommend for an aspiring author?

I’ve read a lot of books over the course of my writing career. Those that stand out that I’d recommend include:

Story Structure Architect by Vi...

Lauren Carr is on The Wrong Side of Murder

Lauren Carr might be the hardest working author in the world. She’s constantly juggling multiple novels while kindly accepting requests for guest posts, managing iRead Book Tours, and serving the dogs allow her to live with them. At the moment, she’s got an exciting new entry in the Nikki Bryant series, which you can read about below. (She’s also giving away a $50 gift card to one reader, and it could be you, so be sure to enter.)

You can read her other guest posts on this blog here: Writing ...