Had a really terrific time the other day with author and interviewer Kelly Blanchard, who interviewed a character from my Coffee & Crime Mystery series, the inestimable Charlie McCallum. Check it out and get a peak inside Charlie's head first-hand! Also, make sure you check out ALL her character interviews, with characters from many books … Continue reading Character Interview- Charlie McCallum Redux
Category: The Writing Journey
Blog Entries that have to do with the day to day struggle to put words on paper — or pixels on screen.
Huzzah! Forest Outings, Book 3 in the Coffee & Crime Mysteries Debuts Today!
Hello fellow babies! Forest Outings, the third book in the Coffee & Crime Mystery Series, is now on Amazon for sale. Whoo hoo!!!! Well... the e-book is there. It may be a couple of days before the paperback launches. I'm very excited about this one and I hope you all enjoy it as well. If … Continue reading Huzzah! Forest Outings, Book 3 in the Coffee & Crime Mysteries Debuts Today!
The Bambi Syndrome – Or How Walt Disney and I Are Alike
“You’re as bad as Walt Disney,” my editor said to me after finishing a draft of one of my WIPs (Works in Progress). “All your characters are orphans.” “That’s not true,” said I, vehemently. “I mean, okay, Ellie from my Coffee and Crime mysteries is, but Ellie’s parents' murder is part of the series arc. … Continue reading The Bambi Syndrome – Or How Walt Disney and I Are Alike
What Weight Do You Normally Fight At?
I'm ba-a-a-a-ack! Greetings fellow Earthlings! As some of you know, I took a rather spectacular fall just before Thanksgiving. Face-planted onto concrete right in front of a bunch of people from the Evil Day Job. It was spectacular. Blood everywhere, broken bones, including my hand and nose (and my pride), sprained things, even had to … Continue reading What Weight Do You Normally Fight At?
An Interview with Litte Ol’ Moi!
Had a fun time with fellow author D.R. Perry today. She interviewed me for her blog. I mean, how cool is that? Check it out here: Nan Sampson Interview and be sure to read her other posts. She is terrific! In the meantime, how's that pumpkin carving going? Illegitimi noncarborundum!
How Carving a Pumpkin Can Change Your Life
Yes, it’s true. Carving a pumpkin can truly change your life. Especially if you’re using a really sharp knife and it slips… But seriously. I spent some rather unproductive time last night attempting to create a pumpkin masterpiece. Now, we ALL know I have no artistic ability whatsoever. I can draw neither a straight nor … Continue reading How Carving a Pumpkin Can Change Your Life
A Pithy Quote for the Day
I was reading a blog by Maria Popova, who was quoting Ann Patchett from her memoir. It rang so true for me, as a writer, I had to share it. You can read the full blog post here: BrainPickings, and I highly recommend reading Ann Patchett's book (available at Amazon here: This Is the Story of … Continue reading A Pithy Quote for the Day
Don’t Think About Writing…
After last week's momentous book launch, I decided I deserved a weekend's worth of down time. I'd been going 4-40 since January and felt exhausted. All I was looking for was two days of doing nothing. Makes sense, right? Recharge the old batteries, gather steam for the next project. All good. What was it Bobby … Continue reading Don’t Think About Writing…
The Hero Returns (with the Elixir)… or “I’m Back”
It's true! After over a week of radio silence, like the scary ghosts in Poltergeist, I'm back! With a vengeance! Not sure how many of you have read the incredible book by Christopher Vogler, called "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers", but reading it was one of those crystallizing moments in my journey as … Continue reading The Hero Returns (with the Elixir)… or “I’m Back”
The Reason Geese Won’t Fly And Why Most of Us Never Live Our Dreams
Why don't we all live our dreams? I had an inspiration today on the drive in to work. Here's how it went (wavy fade to flashback): So I'm sitting in traffic this morning. It's spring (FINALLY) here in Chicagoland. And that means two things. One, it's construction season, so every east-west road across the Fox … Continue reading The Reason Geese Won’t Fly And Why Most of Us Never Live Our Dreams
Nan Sampson - Author 