A Writer's Moment: 'A daunting, but rewarding endeavor'

A Writer's Moment: 'A daunting, but rewarding endeavor':   “Completing any writing project, particularly a novel, is a daunting prospect. Many people become frozen by the prospect. Others keep wait...

'A daunting, but rewarding endeavor'

 

“Completing any writing project, particularly a novel, is a daunting prospect. Many people become frozen by the prospect. Others keep waiting for the right time. Some wait for the spark of inspiration. Even experienced writers find it is easier to do anything other than actually write. – Bob Mayer 

  

Born in The Bronx, New York on Oct. 21, 1959, Mayer is a prolific author of more than 60 novels in multiple genres.  And, when I say “multiple genres,” that includes Romance where he holds the distinction of being the only male author on the Romance Writers of America Honor Roll.    

 

He began his writing career in 1991 with the bestselling Green Beret novel Eyes of the Hammer and has never looked back.  His latest, in the “Wil Kane series” is 2024’s Shelter From The Storm.

 

A graduate of West Point and former Green Beret himself, he encompasses both his military experience and his fascination for history, legends and mythology in his writing.    And, collaborating with Romance writer Jennifer Cruise, he did a series of military-themed romance novels starting with Don’t Look Down and the New York Times number one bestseller Agnes and the Hitman.

 

While getting the work done hasn’t seemed to be a problem for Mayer, he notes that for most writers it can become a long process. 

 

“It takes hundreds of days to get to 'The End.'  As a writer, you have to be ready to put in those hundreds of days.”

A Writer's Moment: 'The message is clear'

A Writer's Moment: 'The message is clear':   “The message is clear: libraries matter. Their solid presence at the heart of our towns sends the proud signal that everyone - whoever the...

'The message is clear'

 

“The message is clear: libraries matter. Their solid presence at the heart of our towns sends the proud signal that everyone - whoever they are, whatever their educational background, whatever their age or their needs - is welcome.” –  Kate Mosse

  

Born in Chichester, England on Oct. 20, 1961 Mosse is both a champion of libraries and award-winning writer of fiction and nonfiction books, numerous short stories, essays and journalistic pieces.   Her best-known novel is the archaeological mystery Labyrinth, translated into more than 37 languages and made into a television miniseries.

 

Although known for her adventure and ghost fiction, inspired by real history, Mosse's first two works were non-fiction: Becoming A Mother, published in 1993 and The House: Behind the Scenes at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, published to accompany the BBC2 show The House.   She has authored 13 novels – the latest being 2024’s The Map of Bones – 5 nonfiction books, and 3 plays.

  

Mosse has contributed essays and stories to a number of anthologies and collections, and her journalistic pieces appear in a wide range of newspapers and magazines, including The Times of London.   She is a co-founder/creator of Great Britain’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, which has spawned a sister award, The Women's Prize for Nonfiction.   In 2024, she was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to literature, women and charity.  

 

A stickler for detail and accuracy in historical writing, she noted, “I am not a fan of historical fiction that is sloppy in its research or is dishonest about the real history.”

A Writer's Moment: Is it 'procrastination' or 'detailed creation?'

A Writer's Moment: Is it 'procrastination' or 'detailed creation?':   “I love research so much that I do an enormous amount; it helps put off the moment of starting to write the story.” – Alan Garner   Bo...

Is it 'procrastination' or 'detailed creation?'

 

“I love research so much that I do an enormous amount; it helps put off the moment of starting to write the story.” – Alan Garner

 

Born in the front room of his grandmother’s house in Cheshire, England in October of 1934, Garner grew up near that northwestern English city, where he has chosen to set most of his books.  Best known for his children's fantasy novels and his re-tellings of traditional British folk tales, his work is firmly rooted in the landscape, history and folklore of his native county.  

 

Noted for his “slow, but steady” writing style, he takes his time but always produces winners, earning him almost every major writing award for young people’s literature in the process, including both the Carnegie Medal and The Guardian Prize.  He was runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

  

Garner has produced 18 books and 9 collections of short stories.  His most well-known are The Owl Service, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Stone Book, and Treacle Walker, a finalist for the Booker Prize.  In 2024, a week before his 90th birthday, Garner published the memoir Powsels and Thrums.  Framed and inspired by his grandfather, the book contains poems and short essays on the people and events in Garner’s life starting at Manchester Grammar in 1946.

  

As for being a procrastinator, Garner said, “Look, if you are going to write, nothing will stop you.  And if you are not going to write, nothing will make you.” 

A Writer's Moment: Banking on 'the creative imagination of the reader'

A Writer's Moment: Banking on 'the creative imagination of the reader':   “If I had to put a name to it, I would wish that all my books were entertainments. I think the first thing you've got to do is grab th...