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,...
by kristinoakley | Jan 26, 2018 | Fictional Research, Newsletter
A few weeks ago, I mentioned how the internet has made research so easy for writers. Need to know what birds would be flying around an Illinois gazebo in October? Google it (sparrows). Wondering how long a voice-activated bugging device can record? Google it (144...
by kristinoakley | Jan 19, 2018 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
Leonardo “Leo” Salvatore Townsend, the protagonist in my series, is attractive (okay, he’s hot), a womanizer (particularly in Carpe Diem, Illinois and an award-winning journalist with a strong sense of justice. He also has a phobia and a fatal flaw,...
by kristinoakley | Jan 12, 2018 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
One of the most common questions readers ask writers is where do we get our ideas. Neil Gaiman used to tell people that he gets them from a little idea shop in Bognor Regis. Now he just tells them that he “makes them up. Out of his head.” (Check out his...
