by kristinoakley | Oct 24, 2022 | Newsletter, Writing Life
I have exciting news! My short story, “Jessie’s Jelly Joint,” won first place in the Chicago Writers Association’s Short Story Contest on Friday, October 14th at the CWA Party! I wrote “Jessie’s Jelly Joint” about nine years...
by kristinoakley | Oct 13, 2022 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
I know I promised to review Emily St. John Mandel’s novel The Sea of Tranquility this month, but I’m saving it for November. I recently finished listening to Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry, narrated by my friend Ray Porter, and it’s about...
by kristinoakley | Oct 3, 2022 | Books and Movies, Newsletter
Like most writers, I’m a huge movie buff. I often tell myself that watching movies is part of my job because, through film, I learn about storylines, character development, and especially dialogue. However, being a movie-obsessed writer can also be a curse. I...
by kristinoakley | Sep 16, 2022 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
Every ten years or so I read a book that shifts my belief system. Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman is that book. It joins Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig on my list of top-ten mind-altering...
by kristinoakley | Sep 2, 2022 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
Last week, I finished writing and editing the third draft of my young adult dystopian novel The Renegade – Book Four of The Devil Particle Series. Woo Hoo! On Friday, I sent the manuscript to my editor Tim Storm. Tim will work on the manuscript for two to three...
by kristinoakley | Sep 1, 2022 | For Writers
Research? But I write fiction; can’t I just make this stuff up? Yes, but even a novel has to be grounded in fact. Lack of plausibility is one of the main reasons agents, publishers, and readers reject a book. Novels that are well-researched are not only...
by kristinoakley | Aug 19, 2022 | Books and Movies, For Readers, Newsletter, Writer's Book Club
Welcome to my Writer’s Book Club. This month I review a little-known young adult dystopian book called The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In Collins’ novel, one boy and one girl are selected from each region to compete to the death in the Hunger Games. Only...
by kristinoakley | Aug 5, 2022 | Newsletter, Writing Life
I walk two to four miles every day while brainstorming ideas for my books or listening to audiobooks (and photographing wildlife). Currently, I’m listening to The Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft, Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained, or Persuasion, depending...
