Often I write about fear. I think it’s one of the most universal human emotions. Fear helps us to learn vital lessons like don’t touch the stove when it’s hot or don’t run a red light because you’ll probably cause an accident. But fear can easily consume us. In my recent novel, Created, Paleontologist Travis Perego is tortured by fear. Fear of losing his job. Fear that beautiful Lenaia is hiding things from him. And fear of finding out the … [Read more...]
Craig W. Drummond On His Writing Process For SAVING SANDOVAL
I started Saving Sandoval back in 2007 by taking notes while still in Iraq after I represented Specialist Sandoval in his court-martial. In the back of my mind, I knew that the case had been a game-changer for me both personally and professionally. Sandoval’s case was the first time that I represented someone wrongly accused of a serious crime. In his case, the most serious of crimes, murder. I also knew that time was not on my side if I was … [Read more...]
Author Janice Boekhoff: When Dealing with Writers …
Do you think us writers are just a little bit weird? You wouldn’t be the first. We spend hours behind a keyboard figuring out how best to torture dozens of people who don’t actually exist. It’s no wonder that many writers turn to alcohol to cope with the horrors they’ve put on the page. But don’t worry about me, alcohol is not my problem. Like many sober authors, I’m addicted to story. And there’s no denying that God made me this way. So … [Read more...]
Setting Spotlight: Costa Rica
One of the biggest perks an author gets is visiting the location where a novel is set. For Book Two in the Earth Hunters series, Created, I had to hunt for the perfect location. The plot required several special conditions for the setting: Plenty of room for a mysterious dinosaur-like creature to run around and cause trouble, yet stay hidden. A volcano and jungle close to each other so I could bring together my main characters, … [Read more...]
Author Craig McGuire: The Journey Behind BROOKLYN’S MOST WANTED
With the development of any book, there is a story behind the story. This is a story about Brooklyn. Or rather, it’s a book about the dark side of where we’re from. Writing “Brooklyn’s Most Wanted – Ranking the Top 100 Most Notorious Criminals, Crooks and Creeps from the County of the Kings” was a long journey that started many years before I picked up a pen or punched a key. I remember as a boy I felt bad for the rest of children of … [Read more...]
Is it Wrong to Manipulate Human DNA Like It’s Computer Code?
What makes us human beings? My 3rd grader could give the correct scientific answer—DNA. It gives all of our cells instructions and makes each of us individuals. Based on my heritage, I have blue eyes, brown hair that started going gray in my twenties, skin that tans easily, and a second toe that is slightly longer than my big toe (My sister and I used to tell our friends it was a sign of royalty. I think they might have even believed … [Read more...]
“The Kill For Thrills Gang” Snatches Spot on BROOKLYN’S MOST WANTED Rankings
Subject: Jack Koslow–The Kill for Thrills Gang Offenses: Murder, Kidnapping, Gang Violence, Arson, Assault, etc. Ranking: NO. 62 [The following includes excerpts from Brooklyn’s Most Wanted–Ranking the Top 100 Most Notorious Criminals, Crooks and Creeps from the County of the Kings,on sale now.] We know the teenage brain is sometimes incapable of pumping the brakes. Yet there is a difference between reckless juvenile delinquency and … [Read more...]
Janice Boekhoff: One Writer’s FAQ
When people find out I’m an author, I get two reactions. One: “Wow, that’s great!” Followed by many questions of what and how I write. Two: “Oh.” Followed by a subtle eye roll and somewhat condescending questions about how easy it must be to use my writing to get rich without doing much work. Thankfully, the first reaction is much more common, so I thought I would write up the answers to the questions I’m most often asked. That way the … [Read more...]
The Infamous Charles Manson is Featured In OUTLAW LOS ANGELES
Every generation has its bogeyman. Before 1969, maybe it was Adolf Hitler. After 2001, Osama bin Laden. But for those 30 or so years in between it was unquestionably an aspiring musician, deeply damaged outlaw, and hippie Svengali named Charles Manson. On two nights in the summer of 1969—the same summer as Woodstock—Manson rose from nobody to America’s most fearsome monster. Born in Ohio to an unwed, 15-year- old girl, Manson’s childhood … [Read more...]
