A little something for writers

Lately, I’ve been happily writing away at my novel, whose details I will share soon. For now, suffice it to say it features ghosts, romance, fair-trade coffee, murder, political corruption, left-leaning politics, and more ghosts — all in a fairly compact package.

Pushing me along as I write are my Horror Writers Association mentor Erinn L. Kemper and my local writing buds in the Writers Alliance of Gainesville, where I lead one of their small critique groups. Having been in several writing groups over the years, I’ve figured out that there are definite strategies for getting a writing group to work for you. To share some of what I’ve learned, I’ve written a blog post for the Writers Alliance of Gainesville on  how to get the most from your writing group.

Enjoy, and let me know what you think. If you belong to a writing group,  what would help you get even more from it?

An Un-haunted Life

I grew up surrounded by people who’ve seen ghosts and love to tell tales of their sightings.  Some are old family stories — like the tale of the bald, faceless Buddhist nun who walked through the mirrored bathroom wall of my mother’s childhood home in Macao. Some are new-ish — like the time my brother in law, reading in his loft apartment one sunny afternoon, saw a terrified-looking man edge his way along the back wall of his living room and then disappear through the wall.  Or the time a girl from my high school took her own life and was seen  at her own funeral.

I was there, and I saw nothing.

I’m not sure if ghosts are real — but if they are, I suspect I don’t have the capacity to see them., which may be a blessing. But I do wonder about them — and when I wonder about things, I write about them.

So far, this has earned me hours of entertainment, publication in several small journals, and affiliate membership in the Horror Writers Association.

I love a good ghost story — so  if you love reading or writing them. I’d love to hear from you. Don’t worry, I’m not that scary.