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 | 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...
by kristinoakley | Dec 15, 2017 | Creativity & Craft, Newsletter
A good book title should be so intriguing that it hooks the buyer. Many people have told me they bought Carpe Diem, Illinois just because of the title. Yahoo, success! Originally, Carpe Diem, Illinois was simply Carpe Diem which I thought was the perfect name for my...
