Birthdays: W.D. Snodgrass (1926), Umberto Eco (1932), Robert Kinloch Massie III (1929), Florence King (1936), Seanan McGuire (1978), Stella Gibbons (1902), Tananarive Due (1966), Rudolf Christoph Eucken (1846),

W.D. Snodgrass won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for “Heart’s Needle”

Tananarive Due won the 2002 American Book Award for her novel “The Living Blood”.

Rudolf Eucken won the 1908 Nobel Prize for Literature

Umberto Eco’s most famous English book is “The Name of the Rose” but he has written many more.

Thought for the day: “I love the smell of book ink in the morning.” – Umberto Eco

Tip: When writing, be sure to ground the reader in the setting of your story. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but give us a time of year, and let us know where and when we are. If we’re in a house or apartment, show us what the place looks like.

Jumpstart: Come up with a list of names for your hero and/or heroine and villain for a variety of genres — historical, science fiction, fantasy, romance, etc. Why did you choose those names? Write a brief character sketch for each.

I haven’t been around much lately. 2024 is not off to a great start for me. Between the unexpected death of a good friend and illness that has kept me pretty much down and out, it’s been a rough couple of weeks. But… I refuse to let this taint the rest of the year. There are new stories to write. New books to read and review. New challenges to be met.

Speaking of new stories to be read… I just finished critiquing one for a friend. She will be publishing it some time in February. The author’s name is Misty Simon and this particular series is called “Magically Suspicious”. The stories take place in a RenFaire where all the people who work there are misfit paranormals. Each story finds them facing a new problem. The stories are short, quick reads that will entertain you and have you laughing (as all of this author’s books do).

Don’t like paranormals? Then pick up one of her other mystery books — she has several series and you’re sure to find one that you like. Her writing is quirky, funny, with hints of romance and mysteries to be solved. Start your year off right with a fun read.