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As a curious observer of life, I blog on writing, marketing, my prairie - anything that interests me in the moment. I like to have conversations with readers, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I'll respond.

mystery, love of reading

“Eighth Day” reflects a love of reading

By Carol / 28 February 2022 /

“Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham After reading my post on struggling to read and write, my friend Jean Balser shared…

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Finding inspiration – The Open Road, a novel

By Carol / 25 April 2017 /

I’m pleased to welcome M.M. Holaday to my blog today. You may remember Holaday (aka Nan Johnson) from the story she wrote about Perkins Corner, a post that struck a chord with many readers. Holaday…

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The Mystery of a Mystery – M.K. Tod

By Carol / 06 September 2016 /

M.K. Tod wrote and indie-published two successful historical novels set during World War I. Her newest novel Time and Regret – published this month by Lake Union Publishing – stays true to Tod’s historical expertise…

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The Seven Year Dress – Devastation & Resilience

By Carol / 09 August 2016 /

Today, I introduce you to Paulette Mahurin and her new WWII-era novel, The Seven Year Dress. The Seven Year Dress covers one of the darkest times in human history from the perspective of one Jewish…

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Does paying for book promotion pay off?

By Carol / 16 December 2014 /

As an indie author, I’ve looked at paid book promotions from time to time and always backed away. There were so many questions for which I had no solid answers. Which promotion site? What guarantee…

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Her kind of historical fiction

By Carol / 04 November 2014 /

“I’m blown away.” That’s what I thought as I read The Girl on the Mountain, a novel set in the West Virginia mountains at the end of the 19th century. The characters are vivid and…

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The Invention of Wings – Review – Historical Fiction

By Carol / 16 September 2014 /

I’ve been a fan of Sue Monk Kidd since I read The Secret Life of Bees. So when Kidd released her newest novel The Invention of Wings, historical fiction set in the early 19th century, I…

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The value of a blog tour?

By Carol / 29 July 2014 /

While I was running fast on the ground to launch my historical novel Go Away Home in Iowa, I was also zipping through cyberspace on a virtual book tour that included 15 blog visits. In…

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Feeling the love – Making the most of local book launch events

By Carol / 24 July 2014 /

As I prepared for the launch of my historical novel Go Away Home, I wondered how much the world had changed. Since publishing my memoir as a paperback in 2008, ebooks have proliferated, social media connects…

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What is Go Away Home about? Readers weigh in.

By Carol / 16 July 2014 /

One of my college professors spent much of a semester dissecting T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” I must admit, I left the classroom on most days shaking my head in dismay.…

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