Character Connection

Want to listen to this post instead? Check out the YouTube version. In my forthcoming novel, As Though You Were Mine, my main character, Julie, is confronted with the death of her brother and sister-in-law. When my agent at the time and I sent it around to various editors, we initially received consistent feedback that…

“Smile,” They Said.

Warning: Rant Ahead Related: NOT political …except for starting with the story about at least one male journalist’s commentary about Secretary Clinton’s primary wins last week. I liked Valenti’s article in The Guardian about this as she helped accentuate the principal irritation with the journalist’s “Smile. You just had a big night.” tweet. Valenti says:…

Roller Rink Character: Origin Story

  So my family and I are at the skating rink – the roller kind, not ice – and I’m sitting out a song or two or three because apparently, I’m not as young as I used to be (or as thin, but let’s not dwell on that one). It’s all good, though, because people-watching…

Warning: Characters In Your Head May Look Different Than They Appear

 Catching Fire, the second movie adaptation in The Hunger Games series comes out next month, and the first thing I always think of is the ridiculous fan reaction to character race after The Hunger Games movie released in 2012. When The Hunger Games came out in theaters, shortly thereafter media coverage revealed depressing reactions to…