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Author: Deb

Book Review: The Distant Hours

Book Review: The Distant Hours

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The Distant Hours by Kate Morton Atria Books, 560 pages. I hesitated to review this book because the supernatural element is so subtle–as subtle as the wisp of a ghost’s gown, a ghost more suggestion than apparition. Yet within these pages you will find whispering stones and unexplained stains and distant laughter. Even a ghostly glimpse here or there. Or was that merely a trick of the light? Things go bump in the night, but, generally speaking, they assume humanoid…

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The Writer’s Nature

The Writer’s Nature

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I was trying to figure out if there is such a thing as a writer’s nature, and the Aesop fable of the scorpion and the frog came to mind. Interestingly, the writer Aesop himself is under question. Was Aesop Greek, was he a slave, or was he Greek but ethnically African? And did he, in fact, write Aesop’s fables? Hmmm…sounds like the Shakespeare controversy. But I digress. The gist of the story for all two of you who haven’t heard…

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Book Review: The Keep

Book Review: The Keep

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Ghost Novel Review: The Keep by Jennifer Egan I had gone in search of A Visit from the Goon Squad for Laurie’s book group. My library didn’t have it, but I stumbled upon The Keep instead. Intrigued by the title, I picked it up and read the jacket. The only other Egan book I had read was The Invisible Circus, which I liked but didn’t love, yet I decided to give The Keep a try—possibly because of the hint of…

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V. S. Naipaul vs. The World, Or Why I Vacuum

V. S. Naipaul vs. The World, Or Why I Vacuum

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(image via Dreamstime) I’m vacuuming mad, thanks to V. S. Naipaul. You know, that kind of mad that impels you to vacuum at 11 pm? Nothing will do but the vigorous thrusting with the handle and the vicious roar of the machine even though you should have been in bed already? That kind of mad. Have been ever since I read The Guardian article about the esteemed author V. S. Naipaul in which aforementioned esteemed author bashes women writers. Oh,…

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Guest Review: The Haunting of Hill House

Guest Review: The Haunting of Hill House

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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Publisher: Penguin Classics, 182 pages Format: paperback Source: Guest review Hi Everyone, Today we are hearing from one of our dedicated readers, Allegra Johnson, who is offering her thoughts on a classic ghost novel. Thank you, Allegra, for sharing your insights! From Allegra: My path to reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, a long-time favorite of mine, really started with a movie—a bad movie at that.  I’m not above saying…

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The Blob Monster

The Blob Monster

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Hi, guys. My apologies. I know you have been anticipating the next installment of ghost novel reviews, which is now officially overdue. I was away all weekend at a family reunion in Squirrel, Idaho–beautiful, idyllic spot–and then arrived home with a virus. You know: sore throat, headache, that swirling feeling. To get an idea of how I look, at least on the inside, check out this picture.     The good news is that each day is better, so I…

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Are Men and Women Different?

Are Men and Women Different?

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Or Are Women and Men the Same? Amanda Bonner (Katherine Hepburn) declares in the movie Adam’s Rib, “There’s no difference between the sexes. Men, women, the same.” As for me, I didn’t know that men and women were different until 1991. I conceived my daughters, born 1982 and 1986, via autogamy. Okay. Perhaps I exaggerate. Chalk it up to my upbringing—Erickson-Piaget-Transactional-Analysis-I’m-Okay-You’re-Okay-Nurture-Trumps-Nature discussions at the table of two socially progressive parents. Added to that, my firstborn, Hillary, had only one request…

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Book Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Book Review: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

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  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski Publisher: Harper Collins, 562 pages Format: Hardcover Source: Purchased What it’s about: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle begins, unexpectedly, in 1952 Busan with a secret night meeting between a US serviceman and a Korean herbalist. The service man offers penicillin in exchange for poison. The herbalist says, “I think here we trade one life for one life” (5).     The prologue ends without naming the serviceman, and chapter one begins with…

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The Letter

The Letter

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The Letter You’ve been wronged. You’re a writer. What do you do? You write The Letter. Writing letters is good—as cathartic as crooning a Taylor Swift ballad in a crowded noriebang. (Noriebang = Korean singing room.) Sending such letters is bad. You (generally) observe a time-tested rule: Write the letter. Don’t send it. So you write it, select your words, hone the craft. This you can do. Alliterative phrases come trippingly off the tongue, phrases such as “cowardly cad”. Ah,…

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Ghost Novel Review: The Turn of the Screw

Ghost Novel Review: The Turn of the Screw

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The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Publisher: Dover Thrift, 87 pages Format: Paperback Source: Purchased What it’s about: Perhaps you know the gist of the story: naïve, love-starved governess seeks countryside post teaching suspiciously angelic children who are wards of a handsome, mysterious, unavailable (emotionally as well as geographically) landowner. The novella opens in a fireside gathering of friends eager to share ghost stories. The women are particularly thirsting for bloody and gory narratives. The host explains the…

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Free Guide to Literary Agents Writing Contest

Free Guide to Literary Agents Writing Contest

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Attention Writers: FREE! Guide to Literary Agents Contest for Women’s Fiction I don’t subscribe to many online media sources, but I am a faithful reader of Guide to Literary Agents. For writers aspiring to be published, I particularly recommend two of their ongoing series: Agent Interviews and How I Got My Agent. The former is informative and the latter is inspirational. Recently, Guide to Literary Agents has begun sponsoring free writing contests based on genre. I was disconsolate when I…

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Writing Challenges

Writing Challenges

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I like challenges, don’t you? Well, that kind, too. But what I meant was imposed challenges. For instance, among my hidden talents, I am a quiltmaker. A quiltmaking challenge might include a hideously ugly fabric everyone in the group is required to incorporate into a project. Often, the challenge pieces are displayed in a show. The results are fascinating, even stunning. Writing challenges can take different forms. When I attended the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Conference, one of the…

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Ghost Novel Review: Heart-Shaped Box

Ghost Novel Review: Heart-Shaped Box

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The Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill Publisher: Harper Collins, 366 pages Format: Paperback Source: Purchased What it’s about: Ex-rock star Judas Coyne (born Justin Cowzinski) has seen it all and done everything good and bad, or believes he has. Now he collects grisly artifacts or memento mori just to make himself feel alive.When he hears about a ghost for sale on an auction site, he cannot resist purchasing it. Once the black heart-shaped box arrives, Judas opens it to discover…

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