I’ve frequently praised Charles de Lint on this platform; he’s my favorite author, and The Little Country and Memory & Dream rank among my most beloved novels. I’ve discovered yet another reason de Lint is my favorite author. I’ve just completed “Tapping the Dream...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 151: To Barcelona and Back by Pamela Sargent
by MHill | Aug 23, 2024 | 2024 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, MH Travel, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
I truly believe that the universe has a way of bringing the right book into your life when you need it most. This is the case with To Barcelona and Back: One Writer’s Tour of Spain by Pamela Sargent. Sargent, a veteran science fiction writer, was at a crossroads in...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 125: The Language of the Night by Ursula K. Le Guin
by MHill | May 1, 2023 | 2023 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Rereading Series, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing, Writing and Publishing Resources
"All Art is entertainment. That's so clear it's fatuous to repeat it. Art and Entertainment are the same thing, in that the more deeply and genuinely entertaining a work is, the better art it is. To imply that Art is something heavy and solemn and dull, and...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 124: The Way of the Writer by Charles Johnson
by MHill | Apr 22, 2023 | Charles Johnson, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Writing
As a writer, I have always been curious how other writers practice their craft, what they read, and how they conduct business. I believe you can learn a lot from other writers that are further down the writer's journey than you are. Charles Johnson's The Way of the...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 118: Writing Into The Dark by Dean Wesley Smith
by MHill | Nov 30, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing, Writing and Publishing Resources
There are very few articles and books on on how to just type in the first word and head off into the dark writing a novel with no plan, no character sketch, nothing but pure exploration. Smith provides an excellent argument for writing into the dark for fiction...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 117: The Write Attitude by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
by MHill | Nov 21, 2022 | 2022 Book Reviews, Marion's Favorite Books, Marion's Favorites, Marion's Reading Life Blog, Nonfiction, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing, Writing and Publishing Resources
“If you as a writer are not willing to take risks, if you’re not willing to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, if you’re not willing to write what you want—screamers be damned—then why are you writing? To please others? There are better ways to do that. Yes,...
Ciscoe’s Dance
by MHill | Nov 22, 2021 | Kammbian Characters, Kammbian Culture, Kammbian History, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
Happy Pub Day to Ciscoe's Dance! Ciscoe's Dance is my fourth novel set in the fictional world of Kammbia and the first novel in the Dance & Listen Series. However, this novel can be read as a standalone story. There is a quote attributed to the great author Toni...
Wisdom From Kammbia Book Review 74: Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison
by MHill | Feb 18, 2021 | 2021 Book Reviews, Toni Morrison, Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
I still consider realistic fiction the standard for American Literature. However, imaginative fiction has made significant strides in the past two decades to create its own place in American Literature. As one who prefers imaginative fiction over realistic fiction,...
Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
by MHill | Nov 28, 2020 | Wisdom From Kammbia Column, Writing
Gabo: The Creation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the second documentary about a writer I have watched in the past few days. This 2015 documentary chronicles the author's rise from a small Colombian town to becoming one of the world's greatest and beloved writers. We...
Marion’s 25 April Fools Day Sale!
by MHill | Mar 31, 2020 | Marion's 25 Series, Marion's Favorites, Writing
Happy April Fool's Day! However, this is no joke. I know that a lot of people are stuck at home due to the COVID-19 (AKA Coronavirus) Pandemic. First of all, I hope everybody that reads this post remains safe,...