My Long-Hidden Manuscript by Nancy L. Eady

Yesterday, Annette Dashofy asked about manuscripts we have stuffed in the back of a drawer that may never see the light of day, and I started to laugh. 

The happiest summer I can remember during my K-12 years was the summer between my junior and senior years, when I had access to an electric typewriter and the room to myself. (Fun fact: There were three of us girls and two bedrooms; I shared a bedroom with one of my sisters my junior year, but since it was my upcoming senior year, I got the room to myself starting that summer until I left for college the following year.) I plopped the typewriter on the desk in my room and spent the next six weeks writing. This was more than forty years ago. At that time, not even simple word processors were financially feasible for most members of the general public. For me, the electric typewriter with its ability to erase mistakes was the ultimate tech. 

If I told you the novella-length work that flowed from my typewriter that summer showed early (any) proof of writing genius, I’d be lying. (I’m still hoping for proof that I possess budding writing genius, even now…) What emerged that summer was probably the weirdest, longest fractured fairy tale in the history of mankind. I won’t bore you with the details (partly because I don’t remember many), but to give you the flavor of the entire work, the heroes of the story were three bears named Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. When I finished the story, I gave it to my mother to read. After she finished it, her only comment was that it was very unusual. 

Just thinking about that summer puts a smile on my face, because I remember how happy I was pounding out that story day after day. But what made me laugh about Annette’s question is that, sadly, the fragile paper remains of that story are still stored in a box in the closet with all of my non-digital writing from my junior year forward. I haven’t read it since that summer of 1981, but I still own it. Throwing it out would make me feel like I was abandoning one of my dogs in the wild, and I really love my dogs. It will never see the light of day, but I won’t get rid of it.

So, thank you, Annette, for a wonderful trip down memory lane. Fellow writers and gentle readers, do you remember a time when you were particularly happy because you were writing?

Pivoting… Again by Annette Dashofy

I’ve been participating in a number of conferences and vendor sales lately, which means I’ve been chatting with a lot of readers and aspiring authors. There are always a few in the latter category who tell me they just can’t finish the book they’re writing. They get midway through, grow bored, and come up with another idea that they like better. Book #1 gets shelved as they start Book #2. Then the same thing happens again. Book #2 joins Book #1 as they start writing Book #3.

And so on, and so on. 

My advice to them is always the same. Make a summary of the new idea, file it away, and then finish the book you’re working on. Don’t worry about how badly it sucks. Muscle your way through to The End. You can’t edit a blank page. 

I’m here to tell you, I’m breaking my own advice. Sort of. 

For well over a year, I’ve been writing (and rewriting and rewriting) what I call my Frankenbook. I keep cutting, rearranging, and pasting, hence the nickname. 

I did power my way to The End before going back to page one and revising the first 100 pages. I wasn’t satisfied, but I sent them to my agent for her perspective. I think we all send off our work to our critique groups, beta readers, agents, or editors with crossed fingers, hoping they will assure us our doubts are unfounded. 

This is great! You don’t need to fix a thing! 

Which never happens. Ever. 

It didn’t happen this time either. Instead, she pointed out all the issues I’d already sensed need work and basically told me to fix it. 

(I should mention, this is something I’ve written without a contract, so there isn’t a publisher waiting for it.)

I gnashed my teeth for a few days, anticipating tearing the Frankenbook apart one more time. I thought about breaking out the index cards, jotting a scene, a plot point on each one, and then tossing them into the air and seeing where they landed. Fifty-two pick-up, novel style. 

As much as I encourage aspiring authors to keep going, I decided I need to stop. No, not permanently. But I feel like a mouse in a maze, bumping into walls. No, make that a blind mouse. For now, I can’t see my way out. 

However, I have a plan. First, I’m continuing my field recon (thank you, Timons Esaias, for the term) in which I read other books of similar styles and genres to see what works and what doesn’t. I’ve been doing this for over a year, but perhaps I’ve been studying the wrong books. Time to switch up my reading list. 

Second, I’m starting to write another book. So far, I have one chapter. The opening scene. The inciting incident. I have an inkling of what happens next, including a jump twenty-six years to the present day. I’m working on a loose outline, hoping that it will become tighter in the next few weeks. My goal is to have fifty to seventy-five pages by the end of November. 

With any luck (and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears on my part), my agent will like this one better. Maybe then I will have a clearer view of tearing apart and piecing together the Frankenbook. 

Longtime friends have pointed out to me that I originally wrote Death By Equine in 2004. After rejection upon rejection, I put it aside to work on the Zoe Chambers series. When I pulled Equine back out in 2020, the needed fixes were more obvious to me. When I released it in 2021, it earned rave reviews and won a major book award. 

I still believe aspiring authors should finish that first draft. Typing THE END is empowering and so satisfying. But sometimes it takes a while for the true story to come to light in a way that will keep the reader turning the page. 

Fellow Writers Who Kill, do you have any manuscripts filed away that may or may not see the light of day at some point? 

Readers, what style of story opening do you prefer? Fast-paced from page one? Or slower, more atmospheric, building to the suspenseful climax?

I Don’t Have Work-Life Balance. I Have Work-Work Balance.

By Kathryn Mykel

I’ve never been good at work-life balance. I am, however, excellent at work-work balance.

When I need a break from writing, I quilt. And when I need a break from quilting, I write. I can spend an entire Saturday sewing and genuinely believe I’ve had a relaxing day off. Never mind that the quilt I’m working on is a pattern I designed and the sample has a deadline. I was sewing. Sewing is fun. Therefore, I was relaxing. Makes sense, right?

This logic works great when you have absolutely no self-control.

Writing has its own version. I can decide I’m done working for the night, close the laptop, and listen to an audiobook. That sounds perfectly reasonable until I realize I’m paying attention to how the author ended a chapter or repeated sentence starts. Or I’ll take the dog for a walk and come home having figured out who killed someone and why it makes sense to hide the body near the solar farm. My brain has a fairly loose interpretation of “off the clock.”

There’s also the problem of rewards.

I wrote recently about using rewards to keep myself motivated through more than fifty stories in five years. Finish the book, earn a quilting day. Hit a goal, buy some fabric. Survive a launch, spend the weekend sewing with friends. The only flaw in this system is that eventually the reward starts looking suspiciously like more work.

A trip to the quilt shop can result in getting booked to teach a class, and sewing with friends inevitably produces new murder plots. It’s a talent! At this point, I think that makes me the SME (Subject Matter Expert) on work-work balance.

I’m also surrounded by people who make this behavior seem completely normal. My writing friends understand why I’m excited to spend two hours on Zoom working silently beside them. My quilting friends understand why buying fabric for a new project makes perfect sense when we already have fabric for projects we haven’t finished.

Nobody in either group is likely to stage an intervention. We’re all enablers, really.

My friends have joked for years that I get more accomplished while procrastinating than most people do when they’re actually working. I recently came across a quilter on YouTube who explained that he finished a huge quilt project by working on it while procrastinating on everything else.

 I immediately thought, Yes. That! Exactly.

When I spend a lot of time quilting, I start thinking about writing again. If I spend a lot of time writing, I start itching to quilt. Somewhere along the way, though, I seem to have confused switching jobs with actually stopping work. I say, “I’m working,” and the familiar reply from friends and family is, “You’re always working.”

This year, I’ve spent more time quilting and less time writing. Before long, the quilting deadlines started multiplying, new projects appeared on my sewing table, and my definition of “taking a break” became questionable all over again.

Needless to say, I hadn’t had a real vacation in many, let’s just say, years.

Cruise Fun

In my last post, I mentioned that I was headed on an author-reader cruise. (Do you see the theme here?) Well, I’m back from said cruise, and I tell you, I got some really great sleep done. If I could have sat in a lounge chair on the deck of the boat for seven straight days and done nothing but eat and sleep, I would’ve been in heaven.

I came home from the cruise rested, well-fed, and ready to get back to my deadlines. Which sounds perfectly responsible until you realize that most of those deadlines are self-imposed. Apparently, I’m both the overworked employee complaining about the schedule and the unreasonable boss who created it. Still, I wouldn’t trade any of it for a nine-to-five.

Balance looks different for everyone, and these two pursuits provide a balance that works for me. I’ve managed to make the two careers completely symbiotic. Each one fuels, rewards, and provides procrastination from the other. I’ve essentially engineered all possible escape routes out of my own life. Come to think of it, this may be less work-work balance and more work-work-work balance.

So tell me: If you love what you do, how do you know when you’re working and when you’re actually taking time off or enjoying a hobby? And are you any better at work-life balance than I am?

Kathryn Mykel is a bestselling author of quilting-themed cozy mysteries and a professional quilt pattern designer whose work has appeared in national quilting publications. She lives in New England with her pup, Bentley.

Find Kathryn’s work here www.authorkathrynmykel.com

The Ghosts of Halloween Past by Nancy L. Eady

In our old house, we would buy one bag of candy in the unlikely chance we had trick-or-treaters. I say “unlikely” because our house sat on the top of a steep hill with a winding driveway in a neighborhood that contained one street, twelve houses, and no young children. But our hill was steep enough that I always wanted to have some candy around. Any trick-or-treater stubborn enough to climb that hill earned every bit of candy we could give them. But no-one ever came. 

This year is a new adventure. We are in the middle of a large subdivision with a flat lawn and lots of kids around us, so we have bought two large bags of candy hoping we will give it all away on October 31. I’ve even put out Halloween decorations this year, both a lit plastic pumpkin display outside and all kinds of knick-knacks scattered around the house. 

This is one of my favorites: 

 I painted it myself from a pattern in a craft magazine. It was a lot of fun. 

Thinking about the upcoming Halloween has made me nostalgic for past Halloweens, so I thought I’d share some of the pictures and memories of them with you. 

This is a picture of me and my middle sister back in the 1970s right before going trick-or-treating in witch costumes my mother made. 

 

Here is a picture of my daughter when she was three, having her first Halloween with us: 

 

The woman in the picture was my mom-in-law. Our daughter is Mark's and my only child, and both grandmothers doted on her—she was the first grandchild on my side of the family, and the first granddaughter on Mark’s side. She came to live with us in November 2004—I’ll tell that story sometime—and for the first six months she stayed with us, the child had a new dress to wear to church every Sunday. That is not an exaggeration; if anything, I have underestimated the time involved! 

One year, I made Kayla’s costume. Those of you who sewed in years gone by probably recognize the Simplicity pattern involved—it could be a bunny, a cat, a lion and several other creatures. 

 

Another year, when Kayla had her heart set on being the Little Mermaid, Mom bought the costume, lock, stock and barrel. Kayla was feeling a little sassy that year, I think, and she was proud of the pumpkin she decorated. For those of you shocked because I didn’t let her carve the pumpkin out, I have two things to say. First, we live in Alabama. Carved pumpkins have a chance of lasting maybe two days in good shape if the weather is cool. Second, you obviously never had to clean up after a pumpkin carving expedition. The markers were cheaper, safer, and she had just as much fun! 

But clever moms know to keep their camera ready at all times, and I also caught this picture when she didn’t know it and was just clowning around. 

 The very next year, when Kayla was 10, Mom made her Halloween costume for her, as Rapunzel. It was gorgeous.

Court protocol, however, was thrown to the four winds when we arrived at our church’s carnival that evening, and Kayla/Rapunzel had a chance to climb a wall on one of those bouncy things that children love. 

 The costume survived unscathed and is one Halloween costume that was passed around to various children in the extended family as they reached the appropriate age. 

So what do these pictures have to do with writing? Nothing. And everything. Everything that we write originates with our thoughts, emotions and experiences. Storing these kinds of images in our memory banks can start our wheels turning when we cast about for story ideas or want to add depth and color to the descriptions of our characters and their lives. 

So here’s a challenge: What kind of plot could you create using the following Halloween costume picture?

 

For those of you who are wondering, this is Mark, the year he held a costume contest at the company he worked for. As the emcee for the event, he felt it was his duty to come up with a suitable costume. 

Pea-Soup Fog & Monkey Glands: Ten Reasons Why Victorian England is the Perfect Setting for Murder by Connie Berry

 

In the distance, the bells of St. Mary-Le-Bow toll eleven o’clock. The narrow streets of London’s East End are strangely deserted. Out of the swirling fog comes the clip-clop of horseshoes on cobbles. A carriage appears. I squint, struggling to decipher the gilded crest on the carriage door. From within the passenger compartment, a gloved hand emerges. Wait—is that a gun, or....

I turn the page, my heart in my throat, as the modern world vanishes into the foul-smelling mist. It's London, 1850. Soon a body will turn up--floating in the Thames or sprawled in a brick-walled alleyway. I settle in for another blissful sojourn in Victorian England.

Here are my Top Ten Reasons why Victorian England is the perfect setting for murder:

1. The Famous London Fog

Oh, those thick-as-pea-soup fogs—useful for concealing pick-pockets and cutthroats, handy for the disposal of bodies, and perfect for setting that deliciously sinister atmosphere we crave.

In 1833, Richard Rush of the Court of London wrote: “On the 22^nd of the month, accidents occurred all over London....Carriages ran against each other, and persons were knocked down by them at the crossings. The whole gang of thieves seemed to be let loose. After perpetrating their deeds, they eluded detection by darting into the fog...an opake, dingy yellow (from The Dictionary of Victorian London).” Reading about it is healthier than breathing it.

2. Upstairs/Downstairs

Picture a grand house with a full complement of servants. The Victorian social structure provides a treasure trove of tantalizing possibilities—petty rivalries, class struggles, below-stairs’ intrigues, accusations of petty theft, and pretty housemaids to catch the eye of the lord of the manor. And, of course, we need an oh-so-proper butler, a dour housekeeper with a hidden past, a ridiculously handsome footman who captures the heart of the lord’s nubile daughter, and that unfortunate scullery maid who finds the body and screams like a banshee. These are creatures of myth in a world that never existed. Maybe that’s why we love them. 

3. Opium-Eaters & the Lure of Laudanum

A dark doorway in Whitechapel opens into a smoke-filled chamber, the air fetid with sweat, bile, and the bittersweet odor of opium smoke. Bodies lay strewn across low cots or two-tiered bunks, class distinctions forgotten in the communal drug-induced stupor.

In an age when the science of medicine was evolving and the management of pain nearly impossible, opiates became part of life. Laudanum, a mixture of ten percent opium and 90 percent alcohol, has been called “the nineteenth-century aspirin.” Because of its bitter taste, laudanum was often mixed with honey, spices, and brandy—essential when lacing your rival’s seeded cake. 

4. Potent Poisons

Poison was the first choice of many Victorian murderers—especially women. Overbearing husband? Why not soak a little flypaper and add arsenic to his Christmas pudding? Your husband’s bit-on-the-side went and got herself pregnant? A nice box of chocolates laced with strychnine should do the trick.

The strangest case of poisoning in Victorian England has to be Adelaide Bartlett, whose husband, Edwin, died with a large quantity of liquid chloroform in his belly. The question was, how did it get there? No traces were found in his mouth or throat. Without evidence, Adelaide was acquitted. Later, Sir James Paget of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital appealed to her sense of public spirit: “Now that it is all over, she should tell us, in the interest of science, how she did it.” Instead, Adelaide vanished—some say to America.

5. The Village Doctor

What would a Victorian country-house mystery be without a murder? And what would a Victorian country-house murder be without the venerable village doctor? He’s an old friend of the family, naturally, and eager to declare the cause of death in a way guaranteed to cause the family—who haven’t paid him a farthing since before the Queen’s coronation—the least possible fuss. A poisoning is put down to digestive troubles. If the victim is found in his library, shot through the heart, the shooting was obviously a tragic accident whilst cleaning his gun. No forensic examination will be held. In fact, the body will be safely buried before the sleuth has an opportunity to object.

6. Fascination with the Occult

Who killed rich but unpleasant Uncle Nigel? Who would know better than Nigel himself? Let's get out that Ouiji Board.

7. The Age of Exotica

How many ways are there to kill someone? In Victorian England, the possibilities are nearly endless—untraceable poisons added to a glass of port, deadly snakes or spiders tucked beneath the eiderdown. 

During the nineteenth century, amateur adventurers and explorers left England in great numbers to investigate new lands. Tales of strange (and impossible) creatures fired the public imagination—as did sensational claims of miracle cures from exotic substances like mumia (powdered mummies) and strange plants that delivered an electrical shock strong enough to render a man unconscious. Victorian England was particularly mesmerized by Dr. Serge Voronoff, a French doctor of Russian descent, who claimed that monkey testicles (either grafted or injected) could reactivate youthful vigor and even extend life. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself a doctor, used the idea in his 1923 story “The Adventure of the Creeping Man.”

8. What—No Telephone?

One of the benefits of Victorian crime fiction is the convenient lack of modern technology. Someone is found murdered. How are the authorities notified? In nineteenth-century England, you can’t pick up the telephone. You don’t own one, nor do you know anyone who does. Instead, a messenger is sent, probably on bicycle, to alert the local constable, who is probably tucked up in his bed. Perfect. The delay gives you plenty of time to move the body, rearrange the crime scene, and get everyone’s alibi down pat.

9. The Cult of Death

The Victorians were obsessed with death, from anthropomorphic taxidermy to picnicking in cemeteries to memento mori, the weaving the hair of a lost loved one into jewelry.

10. True Crime

Victorian crime fiction has nothing on true crime stories from England in the nineteenth century. George Orwell in “Decline of the English Murder” fantasized about settling down in front of a fire with his pipe and a cup of tea and opening the News of the World. “What is it that you want to read about?” he asked. “Naturally, about a murder.” Jack the Ripper, Dr. Crippen, the Mannings of the Bermondsey Horror, Frederick Seddon, Neill Cream, Mrs. Maybrick—there was nothing the Victorians loved more than a good murder. 

Why do today’s readers still adore the foggy streets of Victorian England, the top-hatted madman, and arsenic-laced blancmange?

It’s elementary, my dear Watson.

[Originally published in CrimeReads]

Killer Questions - Favorite Beverage (Hot or Cold)?

Killer Questions – Favorite Beverage (Hot or Cold)?

People are often wedded to certain types of coffee, tea, soda, or other drinks. Today, we decided to see how similar or different the Writers Who Kill authors are in their beverage tastes.

Heather Weidner: Iced tea, Dr. Pepper.

Martha Reed: Coffee (hot) or Lemonade (cold).

Sarah Burr: A Mango Refresher from Dunkin’ is my go-to whenever I need a pick-me-up.

Kait Carson: Does wine count? Okay, coffee, from Carrabassett Roasters in Maine – try it, you’ll love it.

Molly MacRae: My go-to drink is cold water. But a favorite drink, one so good we only have it on Christmas morning and only every two or three years, is a recipe called Depths of Sin Hot Chocolate. It lives up to its name. 

Mary Dutta: A toss-up between a hot latte and a cold gin and tonic.

Shari Randall: This is a tossup between a frozen margarita and a raspberry lime rickey. I’ll just have both. ;)

Debra H. Goldstein: Coca Cola

Grace Topping: Hot English breakfast tea with a splash of milk— anytime, all day. 

Lori Roberts Herbst: Diet Cherry Pepsi

Korina Moss: Coke Zero, although sadly I can’t drink it anymore because of the caffeine.

K.M. Rockwood: Hot mulled cider.

Margaret S. Hamilton: Cappuccino.

Elaine Douts: Depends on the time of day. Coffee in the morning, dark roast. On cold winter afternoons, hot tea or cocoa. Leisure hour, a dry champagne or dry white wine. 

Susan Van Kirk: Herbal tea or wild cherry Pepsi.

Annette Dashofy: Hot coffee with sweet creamer.

James M. Jackson: Diet Dr Pepper—I first came upon Dr Pepper when we moved to Virginia in 1957 for my father to earn his PhD. For years it wasn’t available up north. I suspect it's as much a psychological choice as taste.

 

 

A Serial Killer and His Prosecutor

 by Paula Gail Benson

When I was growing up in South Carolina, the name Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins was known and feared as a serial killer who charmed his victims and had no remorse for the atrocities he committed against them. When his death penalty conviction was overturned (due to the state’s statute being held unconstitutional), he pled guilty to dozens of murders to receive life sentences.

Later, when the death penalty was statutorily reinstated, he was serving time in the state’s Central Correctional facility. He took a bribe to kill another prisoner. When poisoning did not work, he smuggled in an explosive. That death was the crime for which he was executed.

Prior to his own death, he wrote with Wilton Earle, Final Truth: The Autobiography of Pee Wee Gaskins. Gaskins told reporters and others that he killed more than one hundred people. That number has not been proven.

Gaskins’ crimes and trials are examined in Richard A. Harpootlian’s Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South (written with Shaun Assael) (released December 16, 2025, with the audio version read by Harpootlian). You may recognize Harpootlian’s name. He’s a lawyer in Columbia, S.C., and recently served in the State Senate. He began his career as a prosecutor, then became a defense attorney, most recently representing Hunter Biden and Alex Murdaugh.

Harpootlian prosecuted Pee Wee Gaskins and, in doing so, found himself in a unique relationship with the killer. Pee Wee, known to be a master manipulator, called Harpootlian by name and greeted him when they were together. Following the trial, Pee Wee continued the relationship by sending Harpootlian Christmas cards. As Pee Wee’s execution neared, he tried to have Harpootlian’s four-year-old daughter kidnapped.

What is so fascinating about Dig Me a Grave is that it is not only Pee Wee’s story, but also Harpootlian’s. The chapters change the viewpoint from one to the other, contrasting their backgrounds and their approach to the trial.

Harpootlian spoke to the Capitol Crimes Chapter of Sisters in Crime about the book and his experience with Pee Wee. He talked about how the killer could display a very likable personality. One day when they were eating lunch together, Pee Wee had been teasing him. Harpootlian took the opportunity to tease Pee Wee back, and saw a change occur in his face and eyes. Suddenly, the congenial companion had angered. Harpootlian knew he had to get Pee Wee to display that anger in the courtroom so that the jury members would understand why they needed to convict him.

If you have an interest in true crime and history, this is a book you do not want to miss. It contains difficult scenes but gives real insight into how a serial killer’s mind works and how a prosecutor prepared for the trial.

Richard A. Harpootlian

What true crime books do you recommend?

What's in an Hour?

 What’s in an Hour? by Debra H. Goldstein

The other day, I did something unusual for me. It was one of the few days that I didn’t need to be somewhere in the morning, so I didn’t set an alarm. I still woke up just before eight a.m. but decided to turn over for a few minutes. The next time I looked at the clock, it read a few minutes after ten. 

For a moment, I felt guilty. There were so many things I could have done had I gotten out of bed when I woke up or even by nine. Then, I decided maybe what I had needed most was the hour of peaceful rest. I had to admit, I felt good. In fact, when I swung my legs off the bed, I didn’t groan to myself. 

On November 1, at two a.m., we will set our clocks back an hour as part of Daylight Savings Time. Doing this returns us to standard time. It also means that unlike the change we made in March, when we set our clocks ahead an hour, we gain back an hour of sleep. That will make me a happy camper because I can sleep without guilt that I’m missing out on doing something.

I hate to tell the powers-that-be that in March, for me, I always have thoughts about the fact that I will never regain that hour. Imagination runs rampant about what I could have done during that time. The possibilities are endless. Compose a poem. Write a short story. Bake a cake. Do my laundry. You can imagine the myriad of other things that crosses my mind. Yet, I never do anything to reclaim the hour.

What would you do with an extra hour gained or lost?

The Power of a Click: Why Subscribing Matters More Than You Think by Sarah E. Burr

We live in an age when supporting our favorite creators is easier than ever. With a few taps on our phones or clicks of a mouse, we can follow authors, subscribe to YouTube channels, sign up for newsletters, and share content with friends and family. Yet, despite how simple these actions have become, I don't think most people realize just how much they mean to the individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to entertain, educate, and connect with their audiences. As someone who wears both an author's hat and a content creator's hat, I've come to appreciate that sometimes the most meaningful support doesn't cost a single penny. All it takes is a moment of someone's time.

For those who may not know, my dear friend and fellow mystery author J.C. Kenney and I are the hosts of It's Bookish Time, a virtual destination for readers and writers who love cozy mysteries, traditional mysteries, and sweet romance. Through our YouTube channel, we produce A Bookish Moment, where we interview authors about their latest releases, their writing journeys, and the stories that inspire them. We also host The Bookish Hour, which brings authors together for lively panel discussions about books, publishing, and everything in between. Our mission has always been simple: celebrate books, connect readers with authors, and provide a welcoming space where the writing community can come together. It's something we're both incredibly passionate about, and we're proud of the community we've built over the years.

However, there's a side to producing It's Bookish Time that viewers rarely see. When someone tunes in to watch one of our interviews, they're seeing the finished product of hours of preparation, research, scheduling, technical troubleshooting, and creative work. Depending on how many shows we have scheduled, J.C. and I spend approximately four to six hours each week preparing for our broadcasts. That doesn't include the time we dedicate to maintaining our website, writing promotional copy, creating graphics, communicating with guests, managing our social media accounts, or handling the countless little administrative tasks that keep everything running. We do all of this because we genuinely love supporting our fellow authors, but that doesn't mean producing the show comes without a cost.

In fact, let me share a few numbers that might surprise you. Maintaining our website costs approximately $300 annually, while our domain registration adds another $15. Until recently, the email service we used to communicate with our subscribers cost an additional $160 each year. That's $475 in annual expenses before we even consider the software, equipment, and other resources involved in producing our broadcasts. Thankfully, we've been able to eliminate that email expense by moving our newsletter to Substack, which allows us to communicate with our audience for free. It's been a wonderful change, and if you're not already following It's Bookish Time on Substack, I hope you'll consider joining us there.

Of course, every small business has operating expenses, and I don't share these figures looking for sympathy. Rather, I want to illustrate something that I think often gets overlooked in today's digital world. When you watch a free interview, listen to a free podcast, read a free newsletter, or enjoy someone's social media content, there's a very good chance that the person creating it has invested considerable time and money to make it available to you. For independent creators, those expenses often come directly out of our own pockets. We aren't backed by large media companies with dedicated production teams, marketing departments, and technical support specialists. We're simply people who love what we do and are trying to share that passion with others.

This brings me to the humble YouTube subscription button, which has become one of the most important tools available to creators like us. When you subscribe to a YouTube channel, you're doing more than adding another name to your subscription list. You're helping that creator build an audience, demonstrate interest in their content, and work toward opportunities that can make their creative endeavors more sustainable. While YouTube's recommendation system considers many factors, including viewing habits and audience engagement, building a loyal subscriber base is an important part of growing a channel. Every new subscriber represents another person who has expressed an interest in what we're creating, and that support can help us reach more readers and authors.

For J.C. and me, our current goal is to reach 1,000 YouTube subscribers. That number is particularly meaningful because it's one of the major requirements for qualifying for YouTube's advertising revenue program, alongside specific watch-time or Shorts-view thresholds and other eligibility requirements. Reaching that milestone wouldn't suddenly turn It's Bookish Time into a profitable business, nor would it guarantee a substantial income. However, it would put us one step closer to potentially earning revenue from the content we already work so hard to produce. Even a modest amount of income could help offset our website expenses and allow us to invest more resources into improving the experience for our guests and viewers.

There's also the matter of technical support, which has been one of our greatest frustrations. Over the years, J.C. and I have encountered our fair share of technological challenges, some of which have been significant enough to disrupt our broadcasts. Without access to personalized assistance when problems arise, we've had to become our own troubleshooting department, spending hours researching solutions, experimenting with settings, and figuring out how to get things working again. Although reaching 1,000 subscribers doesn't automatically guarantee dedicated technical support, growing our channel and eventually qualifying for YouTube's Partner Program could open the door to additional creator resources. For two authors who would much rather spend their time writing and talking about books than deciphering technical error messages, that prospect is certainly appealing!

Subscribing is one of the easiest ways to make a tangible difference in someone's creative journey. You don't have to watch every video or read every newsletter to show your support. If you enjoy what a creator does, consider subscribing to their channel, following their newsletter, or sharing their work with someone who might appreciate it. If you have a little extra time, leave a comment, give a video a thumbs-up, or recommend the channel to a friend. Those small gestures help creators build communities, encourage engagement, and remind us that the work we're putting into the world is reaching people who value it.

And this certainly doesn't apply only to It's Bookish Time. Think about all the independent authors, book reviewers, bloggers, podcasters, artists, and other creators whose work brightens your day. Many of them are navigating the same challenges, trying to balance their passion for creating with the practical realities of keeping their projects afloat. If there's someone whose content you enjoy, take a moment to show them a little love. You might be surprised by how much that simple gesture means.

As for J.C. and me, we're going to keep doing what we do best: talking about books, celebrating authors, and bringing our wonderful reading community together. But if you'd like to help us reach that 1,000-subscriber milestone, we'd be incredibly grateful if you visited our YouTube channel and clicked that little Subscribe button. It won't cost you anything, and it just might help us turn the page toward an exciting new chapter for It's Bookish Time.

You can find us at https://www.youtube.com/@itsbookishtime.

Now, I'd love to hear from you! Do you subscribe to your favorite authors and content creators on YouTube or Substack? Did you realize how much those subscriptions can mean to the people behind the content?

Writer's Serendipity - Part II by Martha Reed

Last month I posted a blog about the serendipity of spontaneously stopping by my childhood home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio to take a look – since I hadn’t seen it in fifty-five years. While I was there, one of those weird universal coincidences happened when I met Florenza Lee, the author currently living in the house who was smack in the middle of publishing her new book.

Two writers from the same exact location? Maybe there is something in that aquifer.

My curiosity was piqued. I needed to know more, and I thought you might too. Please welcome Podcaster/Publisher/Author Florenza Lee.

Welcome, Florenza. What a treat to host you on the Writers Who Kill blog.

Q: What was your reaction when Martha Reed unexpectedly showed up on your doorstep? (NB: Trust me, this happens. One of my nicknames is Bad Penny because you never know where I’ll turn up.)

A: My initial thought was, “Yep, I know how this movie is going to end!” And that was BEFORE I learned you were a writer—not just a writer, but a crime fiction writer extraordinaire. For your readers, it may come as quite a surprise, but things like this happen to Papa Bear and me all the time. We seem to be “Netflix movie storyline magnets.” Why should a mysterious, slow-moving vehicle with two absolute strangers possibly casing the house be any different from any given Tuesday?

Tell us about yourself:

Q: When did you decide to become an author, and why?

A: I don’t know that I ever decided to become an author as much as I finally stopped resisting becoming one. I had spent years writing in one form or another, but after retiring from a 31-year career as a federal civilian employee and Army spouse, the stories that had been patiently waiting for me suddenly had room to breathe.

Writing full time gave me permission to ask, “What if?”—and then follow wherever the answer led. What began with children’s books grew into stories for readers of different ages and genres, but the reason I write has remained the same: I believe stories have the power to entertain us, challenge us, connect us, and sometimes help us see ourselves a little differently.

Q: Do you have a preferred genre to write in, and if so, why?

A: I’m not sure I have a preferred genre as much as I have a preferred kind of story. I love stories that make readers feel something, question something, or see something from a perspective they may not have considered before. That can happen in a children’s book just as easily as it can in a psychological thriller, romantic suspense, or inspirational work.

Writing across genres also keeps me creatively curious. One day I can be solving a mystery with middle-grade characters, and the next I can be plotting something that would make you seriously reconsider trusting your neighbors. Apparently, my imagination does not believe in staying in its assigned lane—and I’ve stopped trying to make it.

Q: Does your life experience influence your creativity or help you develop your characters?

A: Absolutely. I’ve lived long enough to have collected a whole lot of stories—and even more characters.  My life experiences are woven into nearly everything I write, although rarely exactly as they happened (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it).

More often, I borrow the truth of an experience: an emotion, a conversation, a personality trait, a place I’ve lived, or something I’ve witnessed. Then I ask, “What if?” and let my imagination take over. Thirty-one years as an Army spouse also introduced me to people from different cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life, and those experiences expanded the way I see people and the world.

And if you knew my family... whew! Talk about a Netflix series happening in real time! There is no shortage of material around here.

So, are my characters based on real people? Not exactly. But if you know me and suddenly recognize a familiar quirk on the page... mind your business.

Q: What is your writing discipline or practice? Do you have a favorite place to write? Do you write every day?

A: I wish I could tell you I have some beautifully disciplined writing ritual involving a perfectly organized desk, a steaming cup of tea (wink-wink), and several uninterrupted hours of creative bliss. I do not.

I write when the story starts talking—and once it gets loud enough, everything else tends to become background noise. I don’t necessarily write fiction every day, but I do write every day. Between books, publishing, podcasting, speaking, and the million other things happening in my world, words are simply part of my daily life.

As for my favorite place to write, I can write almost anywhere. Give me my laptop and a story that won’t leave me alone, and I’m good. I’ve learned not to wait for the perfect setting, the perfect mood, or the perfect block of uninterrupted time. When the words come, I make room for them.

Q: Do you have a dream project you haven’t tackled yet? If so, what is it?

A: For a long time, one of my biggest dreams was to be traditionally published—and with McGill & Lee, I can officially say, I did that! Now, I think I’m living another dream project with Alchemize Your Story.

For years, I resisted writing a guided journal because I understood the responsibility that comes with asking people to revisit their stories. I never wanted to simply hand someone prompts, stir up emotions, and then leave them there.

Alchemize became the project I didn’t know I had been preparing my whole life to write. It brings together storytelling, reflection, the lessons I’ve gathered from my own experiences, and my belief that we can look at what has happened to us without allowing it to become the entirety of who we are.

So, for once, the dream projects aren’t sitting somewhere on my “one day” list. I actually did them. And there is something incredibly satisfying—and a little surreal—about being able to say that.

Q: Are you traditional, indie/self-published, or hybrid? Why did you decide to follow that path to publication?

A: Today, I’m proudly a hybrid author, but my journey began very intentionally as an indie publisher. On January 31, 2014, I started Words to Ponder Publishing Company, LLC because I wanted to take ownership of my words.

At the time, I didn’t fully understand the path to traditional publishing, but more importantly, I wasn’t comfortable turning my words over to a stranger. I felt deeply connected to what I had written. Those stories were mine, and I wanted to understand every part of what happened to them—from manuscript to finished book. So, I decided to learn the business and publish them myself.

And I am so glad I did it my way.

Since then, I’ve written and published 30 books, built my own publishing company, and learned an industry I once knew very little about from the inside out. Now, I’ve also had the experience of becoming traditionally published, which has given me the opportunity to see both paths from a completely different perspective.

And I can say with complete confidence: if I had to start all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Indie publishing didn’t become my path because I couldn’t find another way in. It became my path because I chose to take ownership of my words—and, ultimately, that choice helped prepare me for every opportunity that followed.

Q: When did you become a podcaster? What inspired or lead you in that creative direction? Or did podcasting come first?

A: On the Air with Florenza is actually my second podcast. My first introduced me to women who had survived some of the most horrific, traumatic, unimaginable experiences—and then, seemingly with their very next breath, made the decision not only to live, but to thrive.

Their stories of resilience inspired me beyond words. And I discovered something about myself as an interviewer: there was no story I wouldn’t shift, turn, or gently dig beneath to get to the why, the how, and the what. I wanted to understand what allowed someone to move from surviving something to deciding it would not define the rest of her life.

Although the listenership grew, the platform itself was small and eventually folded. I put podcasting on the back burner and turned my attention to writing and advocating for our Nation’s Veterans.

Then fellow author and good friend Tracy Blom interviewed me for her show, Books, Kids & Creations with Tracy Blom. That interview unexpectedly led to an invitation for me to sit on the other side of the microphone again.

It was not a quick yes.

At the time, my life was where insanity went to become insane. 😂 The last thing I thought I needed was another commitment. But after a few phone calls, emails, and texts, I finally said yes.

And let me tell you! In what feels like a ridiculously short, mind-bending amount of time, On the Air with Florenza has grown to nearly 300 episodes and counting.

What makes me proudest, though, isn’t the number. It’s what the show has become. On the Air with Florenza isn’t limited by genre, race, gender, religion, or the boxes we so often use to separate ourselves and our stories. I’ve had the privilege of sitting across from an extraordinary range of people and discovering what I learned during that very first podcast: there is always another layer to the story if you’re willing to ask the next question.

That’s what On the Air with Florenza has become—a place for “authentic conversations with a twist.” And somehow, all these years later, I’m still chasing the why, the how, and the what.

Q: What are the main differences between creating a podcast and developing a story?

A: For me, there really aren’t many differences. Listen to one episode of On the Air with Florenza, and you’ll quickly realize this isn’t your everyday, run-of-the-mill podcast. I develop a conversation much the same way I develop a story.

For starters, no one comes onto my show as a “guest.” They are my co-hosts because we share the platform equally. And somewhere along the way, the questions become characters themselves. They plop right down between the two of us and say, “Okay, let’s see where this takes us.”

My questions are often stories in themselves. They have context, curiosity, and sometimes a little mischief built into them. But I’m also listening—to the answer beneath the answer, the unexpected detail, the pause, or the breadcrumb that makes me abandon where I thought we were going and follow where the conversation wants to lead.

And here’s another important part of the experience: no one—and I mean absolutely NO ONE—receives the questions in advance. My co-hosts come into the experience blind. That’s intentional because it protects the authenticity of the conversation. I often warn authors, “Be warned: you can’t go on autopilot with me and blurt out your rehearsed, canned answers. No sirree, Bob. Get ready to stand ten toes down, chin up, with your whole chest, because this is a unique literary experience.”

And it is.

That’s also exactly what happens when I’m developing a story. I may begin knowing where I think we’re headed, but then a character reveals something, the story shifts, and suddenly we’re exploring something far more interesting than what I originally planned.

I’ve stopped counting how many times a co-host has paused and said, “Now, that’s a great question!” I never tire of hearing it because it tells me the question did more than ask for information—it opened a door.

So, the biggest difference may simply be the medium. When I write, the story unfolds on the page. When I podcast, the story unfolds between two people in real time. Either way, I’m listening closely, following the breadcrumbs, and trying to get to the story beneath the story.

Q: Does podcasting support your creative writing, and vice versa?

A: Absolutely. Hearing the journeys of other creatives inspires me to keep doing what I’m doing. I learn a little something from every co-host who sits across from me. At this rate, I’m pretty sure I’ve earned several MFAs.

I keep a notebook beside me during every show because tremendously talented creatives are constantly dropping nuggets I want to remember. Their experiences, lessons, mistakes, and wisdom inevitably find their way into how I think about my own creative work. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Q: How do you balance the time it takes between your writing and your podcast?

A: If you ask Papa Bear, he’d probably say I’m not balancing as much as teetering toward destruction.  It’s hard. I won’t lie.

Podcasting takes far more time than the hour or so I spend behind the microphone. I record and edit every show myself, then divide each interview into Intermissions—bloopers, behind-the-scenes details, fun facts, and more—and the main show. More recently, I’ve started breaking both into mini-bites for TikTok and other platforms. Meanwhile, my characters are somewhere tapping their fictional little feet, waiting for me to get back to them.

For a while, I was downright reckless with my schedule. Monday through Friday, from 9:30 to 18:30, I made myself available to authors, publicists, editors, and others. Eventually, I had a mountain of unedited shows, unfinished writing, and absolutely no idea how I was going to dig myself out.

So, I stopped. I took several months away from podcasting, cleared the backlog, gathered my thoughts, and created a schedule that left room for both things I love.

I learned a valuable lesson: even good things can drown us when we don’t set boundaries. I had to put boundaries around something that genuinely gives me life so it wouldn’t take time away from another thing that gives me life—writing.

Do I have the balance perfected now? Ask Papa Bear.  But these days, my characters, husband, family, and friends gripe a lot less and laugh a lot more.

Q: Do you have a dream podcast special guest?

A: When I first started, I absolutely had a list of people I thought would signify that I had “arrived” as a podcaster. Somewhere along the way, though, I realized something: every author who sits across from me is my dream co-host.

I’m incredibly fortunate that people who write stories trust their stories with me—even if it’s only for 45 minutes or so. I know how insanely chaotic my own days can be. Just carving out 15 minutes to eat can require an act of Congress, a meeting with the archangels, and an emergency session with the trinity: me, myself, and I.

So, when I receive a request from a publicist or an author asking to join me as a co-host, my soul still does a little happy dance. I never want to become so accustomed to those invitations that I forget what they mean: someone is trusting me with their time, their work, and a little piece of themselves.

It’s like being the shy girl holding up the wallpaper at the high school dance, watching the hottest guy in school walk through the door—and realizing he has eyes only for me.

Yeah. After nearly 300 shows, it still feels like that.

Q: Which social media do you use? How do you connect with readers? Any tips?

A: Okay, this is where I show my age. Most people find this very hard to believe, but I am a Baby Boomer! Yep. Born in 1964, the final year of the generation.

Although I consider myself semi-fluent in social media, I’m still learning as I go. I’ve mastered Facebook, Instagram, Threads—though I don’t use it as much as the others—X, which I still insist on calling Twitter, and LinkedIn.

TikTok, however, is the monster under my bed.

I know I should utilize it more. Like, a lot more. Especially since I write short stories that could probably get the juices flowing for TikTok users. I’m just a little slow getting to the parade. I promise I’ll make it there before the music stops and they start sweeping the ticker tape from the concrete.

As for connecting with readers, my biggest tip is simple: be a person before you become a promotion. I talk with people. I answer comments. I share pieces of my life, my writing process, my ridiculousness, and the things that matter to me. I don’t want every interaction to end with “buy my book.”

Readers can tell when you’re genuinely interested in connecting with them. So, whatever platform you choose, show up as yourself. Even if, like me, you’re occasionally showing up while still trying to figure out which button does what.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to cover?

A: I’ve typed so much, my fingers are thirsty.  I think I’ve truly said all I need—or probably should—be saying at this point.

This has been an absolute delight, and as my co-hosts so often say to me, “That was a great question!”

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me about my life, my writing, my podcasting, and all the wonderfully chaotic spaces in between. I hope we’ll continue the conversation beyond these pages.

Until then, cheers—and keep pondering!

Florenza, thank you for sharing these insights into your creative life. It’s been a joy meeting you. I wish you all the best in your endeavors. I’m delighted to think that your positive energy is busy at work in my childhood home. I have many happy memories of when I lived there, and I hope you will too. Write on!

Florenza Lee is an award-winning author, publisher, narrative coach, speaker, and host of On the Air with Florenza, where she shares “authentic conversations with a twist.” Founder of Words to Ponder Publishing Company, LLC, she has written and published 30 books across multiple genres, including romantic suspense and psychological thrillers under the pen name Aiken Ponder, and is also traditionally published. Whether behind the microphone, standing on a stage, or putting words on a page, Florenza believes in the power of story to entertain, connect, challenge, and transform. Her favorite invitation remains simple: Listen. Read. Ponder.

On the Air with Florenza podcasts are available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNiINfX_iapz2f-RY9UfTbPXRRVf4izC9

Social media links:

Florenza Lee IG Page https://www.instagram.com/florenza_denise_lee/

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Florenza-Denise-Lee/e/B07RBF8G95

Florenza Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Florenza.Denise.Lee/

Florenza’s Website: https://www.florenza.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/florenza-lee-7076418a

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Florenza_Lee