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The great, good and not so good reads for June
I read a bit more than usual in May because I was putting off my next writing project until I left for my residency at Dorland Mountain...
mcharlier1953
May 28, 202111 min read
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Black Death and Covid: History Rhymes Again
Over the past 15 months, thousands of writers have evoked the plagues of the Middle Ages to either make us feel better or worse about the...
mcharlier1953
May 14, 20213 min read
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Supporting Indie Presses and Indie Authors
A version of this blog was published in the Riverside Press Enterprise and other Southern California News Group newspapers Sunday, May 9....
mcharlier1953
May 12, 20214 min read
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The Diaspora that Transformed the Western World
A version of this post originally appeared at https://novelsalive.com/2021/04/27/guest-blog-diaspora-by-marj-charlier-plus-giveaway/ One...
mcharlier1953
May 3, 20214 min read
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Repost: Creating characters, not quite from scratch
This is a repost from the blog, Any Shiny Thing - Life After 50. Thanks to Lynne Spreen for sharing these thoughts with her readers!...
mcharlier1953
Apr 26, 20213 min read
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April books: the good and not so great
My book reviews for this month include two non-fiction, one fiction from an esteemed author and, yes, finally, some chick lit, to ease...
mcharlier1953
Apr 25, 20218 min read
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Did You Ever Hear of Book-Blog Tours?
Have you ever heard of a book-blog tour? Until I left corporate America and started writing and publishing books for a living, I’d never...
mcharlier1953
Apr 19, 20212 min read
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The Unbearable Reality of Being Idle
Doing nothing doesn’t suit me very well. It probably doesn’t suit many of us. Not only is it boring, it is enervating, encouraging even...
mcharlier1953
Apr 18, 20213 min read
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Novellas featuring the necessities of life: dogs, wine and books
This April feels so much better than last April already, doesn’t it? This year, we were able to go to the store at the right time for...
mcharlier1953
Apr 5, 20212 min read
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The Books of March: A Feigned Madness, The Dutch House, Twilight Empress, and The Barbizon
A Feigned Madness, by Tonya Mitchell, Cennan Books/Cynren Press (2020) I have to tip my hat to Mitchell for taking on this story. It is...
mcharlier1953
Mar 22, 20217 min read
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Rainy days aren't all bad
If you live in Seattle, you know that. But in Palm Springs, you hear a lot of whining on rainy days. I actually like them. It gives me an...
mcharlier1953
Mar 11, 20211 min read
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A great idea, a great service
I had never heard of the Campaign for the American Reader until the founder, Marshal Zeringue contacted me recently to offer me a spot on...
mcharlier1953
Mar 10, 20212 min read
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