Special stories we couldn’t tuck away in the vault.
- Saved For A Rainy DayShe’d found them in the original box buried in her grandmother’s closet when she was only thirteen. Gran had waved a hand when asked about them, but she could swear she saw her grandmother blush before turning back to her vegetable garden. It was hard to imagine the woman now…
- Chosen FamilyWell, we did say that the blogging would be thin during the month of NaNoWriMo (aka November). I can report that K.R. Brorman, S.A. Young and I have all been writing like fiends and making significant progress not only toward the NaNo goal of 50,000 words each in a month,…
- Interlude – Part 1This is the first installment of a short story I’m working on. I hope it’s actually going somewhere. **************** “Buon giorno,” Audra said to the young mother with two small children already seated in the private train compartment. And that, she told herself, exhausts my conversational Italian. The other young…
- Interlude – Part 2What were the odds, really? Audra did a mental head shake as she wheeled her suitcase and computer bag into the lobby of the boutique hotel she’d picked for her getaway, for the very reason that it wasn’t one generally favored by the hordes of tourists coming to Monte Carlo…
- Interlude – Part 3The tumbler of fine, single malt dangling from his fingertips was poised halfway to his lips. He’d been keeping only half an eye aimed toward the lift on the off chance she’d decided to accept his invitation. The ancient elevator doors opened with a muffled groan and a woman paused…
- Interlude – Part 4Dear, patient S S & S readers, I beg your forgiveness for dropping off the planet for the past several months. I have found it difficult to locate my muse, or the heart, to be honest, to want to write — especially about romance and passion. But. Slowly but surely…
- Interlude — The LastMy co-writers have shamed me by continuing to post thought provoking and entertaining articles, while I on the other hand have been lollygaggin’. Anyone who has been reading this short story has been mistreated by me with the long absences between installments, and I beg forgiveness. This last piece has…
- “It Was A Dark And Stormy Night”After “Once upon a time…”, that’s possibly one of the most famous first lines in fiction. A great first line will get me every time, whether it’s a novel, a biography, a blog article or a Facebook post. Maybe it’s my journalism background from the time when the lede was…
- You Gotta Have Friends, An Excerpt from “Eden’s Fall”“Oh my god! That car nearly hit a cab!” Someone by the windows yelled, obviously a tourist. The natives merely raised the volume on their conversations to be heard over the horns and yelling. “Probably just Kenna Duck Dodgering through traffic.” Candace said, craning her head around just in case…
- Stay – Part 1/4The following story is a work of *fanfiction first written and published online in 2008. It was inspired by the movie Dear Frankie, available for viewing or purchase on Amazon. Enjoy, comment, share. ~KRB Stay They left the pub to not so quiet whispers and knowing lecherous winks, which earned…
- Let’s Talk About SexEach Saturday, we take turns writing about our process, experiences or works-in-progress as we set about writing our Great American Novels first novels. We’ve told you that we describe our genre, or sub-sub-genre, to be contemporary romantic suspense. For the purposes of this post, the emphasis is on romantic. Or,…
- Stay – Part 2/4
This is the second part of a four part fanfiction, that began Emma’s story in Stay – Part 1. In Part 2 lessons on our craft have been applied, Let’s Talk About Sex. Stay She squeezed her eyes closed. If only you could’ve closed your mouth. You insulted him!… - Stay – Part 3/4
Catch up with Stay – Part 1 & Part 2. Michael stretched, his shoulders and back crackling with morning relief. He squinted to block the sun streaming through shutters he rarely opened, and snaked his hands under the sheet, searching for her warm body. His deep disappointment at the… - Excerpt from “Eden’s Fall”Collaboration. It’s a word we use a fair amount around here and I’m here this morning to prove it. Saturdays, K. R. Brorman, S. A. Young and I take turns writing about our collaboration on a series of three (so far) contemporary romantic suspense novels1. K. R. Brorman is the…
- Stay – Part 4/4
Thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed this story so close to my heart. Catch-up on the first installments here: Stay-Part 1, Stay-Part 2, Stay-Part 3. Stay – Part 4 “Ex-wife. You took all of the wedding gifts except my family heirlooms when we split.” The vein in… - Inside the Writer’s StudioTen questions with Eden’s Fall MFC* Kenna Campbell What is your favorite word? Kintsukuroi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, making the piece more beautiful for having been broken. What is your least favorite word? Impossible What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? The saint’s…
- Inside the Writer’s Studio, Part 2 – A Chat With Mike ChapmanA week ago, K. R. Brorman imagined a Q&A with her Female Main Character (FMC) who inhabits Eden’s Fall, Kenna Campbell. I’ve learned today that it was a more difficult exercise than one would expect. We believe we know our characters so well – they live in our heads,…
- The Cooking Scene – Excerpt from Eden’s Fall“Don’t come in!” Kenna yelled. Panic pitching her voice high enough to make Will wince and push through her body weight against the kitchen door. Kenna prided herself on her inability to cook anything but coffee and grilled cheese sandwiches, and yet his – their – kitchen, usually immaculate…
- What’s Past Is PrologueIn the context of The Tempest, Shakespeare meant that everything that came before doesn’t matter because a new, different and wonderful future awaits. That’s not what modern, current usage makes of those words, however. When we hear that phrase, we generally take it to mean just the opposite – that…
- Inside the Writers Studio, Part 3 – Will MacKenzieFor today’s episode, we’re going to change it up a bit. Since our guest can be a bit prickly (read obstinate, mule-headed, unforthcoming) when it comes to answering personal questions or attempts to delve into his background, we’ve asked Kenna Campbell, MFC and star of Eden’s Fall,…