Think you’ve got a great book cover? How about finding out for sure? Today on Paper Lantern Writers! Ever Judge a Book by its Cover?

As a founding member of the Paper Lantern Writers Historical Fiction Author Collective (whew! what a long title!) I’m excited to invite you to join SHINE, our new Facebook Group. SHINE is for readers and writers, editors and researchers, and anyone else who loves to talk about books, especially our favorite historical fiction. Here’s the… Read More

Here’s an absolutely GREAT PHOTO that I couldn’t fit into my Fifty Fabulous Online Library Historical Collections post. It’s titled “Bathing Beauty Pageant, 1925, Huntington Beach, CA” and it’s courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Everybody’s doing it…sharing their sheltering-in-place stories. Here’s mine. All Journey, No Destination

Hey! Here’s my first ever attempt at animation. Just press the arrow to continue….

Happy October, the month of ghosties and ghoulies, long-leggetie beasties, And things that go bump in the night. You know, Monster Month! Today at Paper Lantern Writers I’m sharing lively links about some of the 19th century’s scariest monsters. And the woman and men who wrote their stories. Join us!

Ever wanted to write a short story about New Orleans mischief and mayhem circa 1889 Christmas? Here are a few killer ideas to get your story started! HINT…these ideas might be used for any locale in any era.

A working writer of any kind (technical, marketing, short story, historian, etc.) can’t “wait for inspiration to strike”. Nope, if you’re a working writer, you’ve got to choose your story, sit your butt down in a chair, open up the computer, and get to work. For all of that hard work, your first draft will… Read More

Since Fanny Newcomb is set in Gilded Age New Orleans, I want to start with a short word association game. When I say “New Orleans”, I’m guessing that you’ll say “Mardi Gras parades! Streetcars! Beignets! Hurricanes! The French Quarter! Jazz!” And when I say “Gilded Age New Orleans”, I’m guessing that you’ll ask “What’s the… Read More

I’m Ana Brazil, author of Fanny Newcomb and the Irish Channel Ripper. How to introduce myself? Let me just say that I’m curious about many, many things. First of all, I’m fascinated by the exploits of bold and audacious women, especially the women who followed their strong hearts to challenge and improve American society during… Read More