A windowless shack in the woods. A dash to safety. But when a woman finally escapes her captor, the end of the story is only the beginning of her nightmare. She says her name is Lena. Lena, who disappeared without a trace 14 years prior. She fits the profile. She has the distinctive scar. But her family swears that she isn’t their Lena.
Today is the start of Banned Books Week.
“Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, BBW highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.
Today, I welcome author Ericka Clay to the site. Ericka’s latest, A Violent Hope, will be published on October 6th by Believable Books. In her guest post, Ericka explains what it’s like to be called to write in a genre many people have a preconceived idea about—that it’s boring and/or preachy—and what she’s doing to inject a fresh approach.
I’m pleased to welcome Jane Badrock to the site. In her delightful guest post, Jane shares how buying a house “in the middle of almost nowhere” combined with dipping a toe into the social media waters led to an output of writing that evolved from posts to poems to stories, and eventually, her debut novel, the comedic thriller Sinister Sisterhood, out now from Bad Press Ink.
I previously featured an interview with Jeff Richards about his novel Lady Killer, which was released in October of last year. Now, Lady Killer is out in audiobook format, and I am pleased to welcome Jer Adrianne Lelliott, one of the co-narrators, to the site for an interview.
It’s a pleasure to welcome bestselling author Barbara Nickless to the site. Gone to Darkness, the latest in Barbara’s series featuring Sydney Parnell and her K9 partner, is out now from Thomas & Mercer. Today, Barbara answers the question every author fields at one point or another: why do you write?
Today, I welcome author Margaret Lucke to the site. Margaret’s latest Claire Scanlan Haunted House Mystery, House of Desire, is out now from Oakledge Press. In her guest post, Margaret explains how sometimes characters not only demand to be written, but can take over the (planned) story entirely.
It’s a pleasure to have author Michelle Dunne on the site today. Michelle’s latest, While Nobody Is Watching, is out now from Bad Press Ink, and introduces Corporal Lindsey Ryan, “a born soldier with no choice but to carve a new place in a world that seems to have no real idea what to do with someone like her.”