by kristinoakley | Apr 27, 2018 | Creativity & Craft, Fictional Research, Newsletter
I’m happy to say I’m beginning to know as much about survival in the wilderness as my protagonist, Gaige. Last weekend I hiked the Appalachian Trail to the top of Devil’s Tooth and Tinker Cliffs near Catawba, Virginia with nine independent women, our...
by kristinoakley | Apr 17, 2018 | Conferences, Fictional Research, Newsletter
For me, one of the things that makes a good novel a great novel is when the author has done her research. Currently, I’m reading The Immortalists by Madisonian Chloe Benjamin. Her description of San Francisco in the late 70s/early 80s brought back vivid memories...
by kristinoakley | Apr 2, 2018 | Conferences, Newsletter
This April 12th to the 15th, the air at Madison’s Concourse Hotel will be buzzing with tales of murder in Elizabethan London, dragon-slaying in fantastical worlds, intergalactic war, and Russian espionage when UW-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies...
by kristinoakley | Mar 16, 2018 | Conferences, Newsletter
You’re wondering which gym I go to, right? Okay, I’ll admit, people aren’t really having sex in my gym (as far as I know). Instead, I’ve been listening to Diana Gabaldon’s book, I Give You My Body . . . How I Write Sex Scenes while...
by kristinoakley | Mar 2, 2018 | Books and Movies, Newsletter
I’m addicted to story, particularly this time of year when the Academy Awards roll around (this Sunday!). I try to see all the movies nominated for best picture because I love good cinema and I might win some cash — my niece puts together the most amazing...
by kristinoakley | Feb 16, 2018 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
Beginning novelists want readers to love their characters as much as they do, so often they’ll make them perfect. I was guilty of this. When I first wrote Leo into existence, I continued to point out how gorgeous he is. The funny thing is, the more you state a...
by kristinoakley | Feb 9, 2018 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
“The snow doesn’t give a soft white damn whom it touches.” — e.e. cummings Winter has once again decided not to be ignored. It’s that time of year when we get blasted with cold and snow, a slight warming trend reprieve, and then another blast. This past...
by kristinoakley | Feb 2, 2018 | Fictional Research, Newsletter
(Also known as “Help with Poisoning Cows – Part Two”) Novelists use a weird combination of imagination and reality when writing a book. Generally, if the novel doesn’t follow real-world logic, the reader finds it unbelievable and, possibly,...
