Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Music Hath Charms by Eileen O'Finlan
Eileen O’Finlan was a member of the Worcester Writers Workshop for many years and now hosts a writing group at her home in Holden.
Kelegeen, published by BWL Publishing, is her debut novel. She is currently working on the sequel to be titled Erin's Children set in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Eileen is a holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history and a Master’s Degree in pastoral ministry.
When not writing or working her full-time job, Eileen facilitates online courses for the University of Dayton, Ohio.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Surviving a New England Winter by Eileen O'Finlan
Click here for purchase information
Every time I send my sister in Florida a picture of the snowfall I just woke up to, she always texts me back about how pretty it is. She's right. A fresh snowfall in New England is lovely as I'm sure it is anywhere. Waking up to look out at a blanket of sparkling white is awe-inducing. That is, until you have to shovel it. As of this writing, I have spent the past several mornings removing several inches of snow from my car and driveway. On go the boots, hat, coat, and gloves. Grab the shovel, spray the scoop part with cooking spray to keep the snow from sticking to it, and step out into frigid temperatures for some vigorous exercise guaranteed to wake me up. In my case, that also includes causing a very sore back for at least the next 24 hours due to the severe arthritis throughout my spine. On days when the shoveling is immediately followed by getting in the car and driving to my full-time job, there isn't even a moment to rest.
Though I do appreciate the beauty of a pristine snow-covered landscape, I find the long, cold New England winters to be more and more of a hardship as the years go by. Oh, how I wish I could hibernate.
So, what do I do to survive the winter months? I spend as much time as possible tucked away inside my house, snuggled up on the couch or draped with a blanket in the rocking chair in my home library, a cup of hot chocolate next to me, a good book in hand, and my beloved cat nearby. More than ever, winter has become my cozy time. For me, cozy means books, cats, and warmth. The more time like this I can get in the winter, the better.
My "stay in the house as much as possible" routine has the added benefit of giving me more time for writing and research. Though I never make New Year's resolutions, I have promised myself I will be more diligent than ever about my writing this year. Ideas for novels have been spinning in my head so much lately, it's surprising that characters aren't falling out of my ears!
So, fine, bring on the snow and cold. I just wish it could be contained to the days I don't have to go out. Then I can semi-hibernate in my little house with my laptop, my books, my sweetie pie, Autumn Amelia, and some warming comfort food and that will see me through the winter just fine.
Who could resist cozying up to this face?
Eileen O’Finlan was a member of the Worcester Writers Workshop for many years and now hosts a writing group at her home in Holden.
Kelegeen, published by BWL Publishing, is her debut novel. She is currently working on the sequel to be titled Erin's Children set in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Eileen is a holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history and a Master’s Degree in pastoral ministry.
When not writing or working her full-time job, Eileen facilitates online courses for the University of Dayton, Ohio.
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Round Up Time by Victoria Chatham
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| FOR RELEASE IN FEBRUARY 2026 |
About this time every year, I look at the calendar and, along with many, many others, think: where has this year gone? What have I done with my time? I write nearly every day, whether it's a work in progress, blogs, or just jottings for the next book, but here's a look back at my highlights for 2025.
January. I took a winter break in Puerto Vallarta. The highlight of that trip was a day of whale watching. We had only just left the harbour when a humpback breached close to the boat. There were several moms and calves, one mom and calf breaching again and again, which was an absolute delight to see.
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| Humpback breaching, Banderas Bay, PV, Mexico |
February. We celebrated a friend's seventieth birthday in fine style at a local restaurant, which kindly opened two hours early for a drop-in , say-hello, happy-birthday kind of event. There was a great deal of mirth and merriment.
March. Shih Tzu month! First, pet sitting for a fun and sometimes naughty pair of sisters. The next client was a single dog, but equally fun.
April. My daughter and eldest son visited from England. I was happy to tour them around. Apart from places like the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum, Banff, and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump, we had a walking tour of Calgary, which took us to parts of downtown that I had never been to, so I learnt something new about my city.
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| My daughter and eldest son, Banff |
Later in the day, we visited the Chinese Cultural Temple in Calgary's Chinatown, and then returned to the Calgary Tower for supper in the revolving restaurant. The day was clear, so it was easy to point out landmarks. One of the things that so impressed them was the length of the train passing beneath us through Calgary. Just when they thought the last of the cars were coming around a bend, my daughter's excited, "There's more!" left the couple at the table adjacent to ours laughing. We had a wonderful ten days, and it all ended too soon.
May. House and pet sitting and a visit with a friend in Victoria, British Columbia. I love being on the coast, but I still haven't seen all the sights Victoria has to offer. Highlights of that trip were lunch and a tour at the Legislature Building, a textiles exhibition at the Royal BC Museum, but I have to say I loved the quirky teacup tree.
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| The Teacup Tree, Victoria, BC |
June. House and pet sitting in various locations with a variety of pets. Plus a milestone in my life - I parted company with my last pair of high-heeled shoes. My 80+ knees no longer appreciate them!
August. Wonders never cease. I spent the whole month at home.
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| Sitting beneath our shade tree. |
September. The release of my first cozy mystery novel, A Murder in the Meadow and a book launch at The Purple Platypus in Castor, Alberta, with many thanks to Lynn for being such a wonderful host, and author Nancy Bell for accommodating me for a couple of days.
October. Mostly at home writing, and then away with writer friends on our annual retreat. This time at Sylvan Lake, Alberta, in glorious weather.
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| Sylvan Lake |
November. Two house sits this month, and a lot more writing. One of the exciting aspects of a new book is seeing your cover for the first time, and I love what BWL's artistic director, Michelle Lee, has produced for my second cozy mystery, A Body in the Brewery, shown at the head of this blog. I hope you agree.
December is just around the corner. I have one more short house sit with old faithfuls Brandy the greyhound and Ghillie the Scottish Deerhound, and then it will be Christmas. Again.
All images in this blog are from the author's collection.
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
From the Editor's Desk: Creativity - JD Shipton
I was wandering around in my mind the other day, kicking over the occasional mental rock in search of plot devices for this book I'm planning to write. Essentially trying to imagine the unimaginable: a post biological intelligence, in this case.
As a motive for their investigation of our humble and bucolic little lump of dirt, I had given some thought to creativity as being something they'd come to value in their machine age- so much so that perhaps they'd send probes to their galactic neighbors in search of it. One could make the argument that its a faculty which must be lost when all your synapses become circuit boards, and all your thoughts algorithms. I suppose some manner of random number (binary, in our digital case) generator could be implemented to bring forth novelty (much as our DNA seems to do), but the result would be almost complete conceptual gibberish, rather than, say, Dali's "Swans Reflecting Elephants".
However, nothing in this painting is a truly created concept, just re-imagined. Everything we do and see is processed by our meat computer in exactly the same way as would be by a silicon/gold matrix of circuits and diodes- which shouldn't be surprising, as have we not built computers as emulations of our own, lipid-based thinking machines? Short and long term memory, interconnected circuits, binary outputs down at the level of the receptors at the end of the synapse, programming based on commonly understood notions that are coded as fact.
So don't beat yourself up too badly when you can't seem to conjure from the ether completely novel concepts, unheard of and unseen by the eyes of man or machine. I say it is simply not possible, given our tools and programming. What we can do is what has ever been done: stretch the boundaries of the framework we have to the point that maybe you can burst the seam a little at one side and spill into the unknown.
Thursday, July 17, 2025
Another Year - Slow Writing #BWLAuthor #MFRWHooks #Another year #Slow Writing #Future Projects
Another year has passed. I'm now working on 89. Though my writing has slowed a bit, I released a series of short stories including an Mrs. Miller novella. I also set off the first book in a new murder series The Horror Writer's Demise due out I believe in October. At present I'm working on a romance story that involves a Phone Call and A voice From Her past. I have a second idea for another book concerning a phone call. I also plan to finally write the second book in a Regency series that began with Gemstones, This one called Silks. There will eventually be a third in this grouping. There will also be a second mystery.
The past year plus was a slow one because of some health silliness. All better now. Having ideas is great but finding all the time is sometimes not all. The writing for me goes smoothly but the typing is slow. All my books are had-written for the first and often the second draft. Looking forward to the new stories to tell.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Dead of Winter by J. S. Marlo
Hubby and I just spent Christmas in Victoria, BC, with our son and his growing family. The magic of Christmas shone in our two little granddaughters' eyes. House was decorated, tree was full of ornaments with some of them ending up on the floor. The food was delicious and plenty. I even wrote a child story featuring my eldest little one. The youngest little one will get her own story next year.
We had a wonderful time and made precious memories, even though it rained every day. In all my years, and there are too many to count, I've always had a white Christmas. It was the first time there wasn't a single snowflake on the ground or swirling in the air.
Now I'm back home in northern Alberta, in the snow, in the dead of winter.
I love looking out the window and seeing snow. I also enjoy shovelling. It feels like I'm exercising and I feel less guilty about eating chocolate.
Truth be told, I spend most of my winter days in front of the fireplace with my laptop. January and February are my two most prolific months when it comes to writing.
My latest novel "Red in the Snow" will be released in Sept 2025. Like the title suggests, it takes place in winter.
I also have another story in progress tentatively titled "Misleading Truth" which I'm hoping to finish by this spring. The next two months will tell if I'm on target.
J. S.
J.S. grew up in Shawinigan, a small French Canadian town, married a young military officer, and raised three spirited children. Over the years, she enjoyed many wonderful postings in many different regions of Canada. After her children left the nest, she began writing. Three years later, she captured her dream of becoming a published author. She writes a blend of romantic suspense and murder mysteries. Most of her stories are set in Canada, and if they are not, they feature Canadian characters. J.S. isn't sure where time flew, but decades later, she ended up writing under the Northern Lights in Alberta while spoiling four adorable grandchildren.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Writing Gone Astray by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #Thinking
I'm working on a new book The Horror Writer's Demise and halfway through, I discovered a problem. Not with the writing but what I forgot. This is a mystery with a budding romance built into the first of the stories. The heroine and hero will begin noticing each other. The problem came when I realized I'd become so involved with the murder, I forgot the romance. I'm more than halfway done with the book but I'm going back and finding places to focus on what will be a growing relationship.
Was it age or was having the mystery explored that caused the problem? I'm not sure but back to the beginning I go. Then I will start the Regency story I began probably 20 years or more ago. Thi story was put aside when I was taking courses to finish my BA in Nursing. I found this and several other starting outlines for other stories when sorting out my file cabinet. So now it's off and running with romance on my mind.
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Polishing the novel, my favorite part of writing - by Vijaya Schartz
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| Coming in October: “An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil knocking at the gate… what could go wrong?” Find my other books at: BWL Publishing Also at: amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo |
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| amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo |
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
October - New Book - What I'm doing now by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Mystery - new #Fantasy - old #Regencies - new
Here is the cover for October's release - The Horror Writer's Demise. Having fun researching the mny things I need to know. Probably not a cozy like The Mrs. Miller's books but more of a mystery and developing romance. The heroine is about 30 and has a five year old son and a mother who watches the child. The hero is a widower with a five year old son and who owns a house that was divided into two living areas. Even though four years has passed since his wife's death, he has clung to memories. As for her, the father of her son left without marriage and has successfully vanished. She has passed the regret stage and has entered the thank heavens he's gone. At this poing there are two more ideas floating for stories here. The Historical author's Snuff Boxes and The erotic writer's Nightgowns. I;m sure more will come.
I'm also looking at some Regencies I was working on when Gemstones was written. They were shoved away since other things came into being and were found with the great cleaning of writer's file cabinet. One has six chapters written. The second has a long working synopsis done and the third just an idea. Looks like I'll be busy.
I am finishing up the last of a fantasy series story though I have no idea what I'll do with it but being the writer I am since there are fifteen chapters rough drafted, I must finish this. Then I'll decide if and when Keltoi will appear.
My Places
https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f
http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com
https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/
Buy
Mark My Places
https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/
So there's a bit of work ahead and I'm slowly gathering the words to put all together.
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Bucket Lists & Memoirs by Diane Bator
- published my 15th book, All That Shimmers
- moving across Canada solo with two cats
- driving from Calgary to Penticton for the Wine Country Writers' Festival, again solo but no cats!
- setting a few personal boundaries
- meeting new people
- meeting people I've known virtually for years
- attending When Words Collide in person!
- started to learn some new skills that will come in handy in 2024
- connecting with writing friends and starting a monthly Zoom chat
- guesting on several podcasts and blogs and making some great connections
- starting to read other people's book again!
- moving closer to the mountains
- starting to write short stories again and having them published in anthologies
- hanging out with family when we can
- becoming my own cheerleader - something a lot of people struggle with
Prolific author, Editor, Associate Publisher, and Book Coach. Also mom of three grown ups and two fur babies.
Friday, November 17, 2023
Writing - Choosing a Plot by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #Plot #Mystery #Horror writer #Demise #romance
Back to my way of writing. When I begin, I decide what kind of book I plan to write. This time, I wanted to start a new mystery series and several things were buzzing in my thoughts. I decided rather than a straight mystery, I wanted this series to have a developing romance along with the mystery. Then came the idea for the first one in this series. I needed a title before I began.
I'm funny this way, but I need to have a title before I can begin the book. I knew the dead man was a horror writer. A number of titles flashed in my thoughts. Finally I decided on the Horror Writer's Demise. Not sure why that stuck in my head. Then the planning for the book began.
Setting became the Hudson Valley and one of the places there was a house that had been turned into a place where writers and other people involved with the arts couldrent a space where they could write. There once was such a place not far from where I live. Not sure if it still exists.
Te Characters came next - Not all of the but they will either increase of combined in versions of the story. The heroine is Valentina Heartley. With a name like that she thinks she should writea romance, especially since there have been no good ones in her life. She does research for professors, attorneys and authors. Her interest is Dane Grant, a local detective and widower. Theyboth have five year old sons. She has a mother who helps her and he has a sister.
What happens next will be my taking these two characters and writing a synopsis of the story. For good or not, I organize my stories completely. At present there are a few questions I need to answer before I can start writing.
That's how I work and the system has evolved over the years since 1968 when I soldmy first story.
My
Places
https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f
http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com
https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/
Buy
Mark
Monday, July 17, 2023
The Characters in the Stories by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #characters
Once the Idea is in order and the Plot is decided upon, the characters must be found for your stories. There are a number of ways characters have ventured into my stories. The oddest one happened about a month ago. As I was falling asleep, a voice spoke in my head. "Hi. I'm Valentina Heartly. With a name like that I should write a romance novel." I haven't found a story for her as yet but the ideas are slowly forming.
Often when developing characters, I use Astrology. Now I don't cast their entire charts but I look at the Sun sign, the Moon sign and the Rising sign and combine these to make a person come to life. Then I use one of the many baby name books to find the right name.
Sometimes the characters are well established and are part of a series. At present I'm working on Murder and Iced tea staring Katherine Miller, now married. Along with Robespierre, he Maine Coon cat, I know her almost as well as I know myself. This time I am using many of the characters from the other stories in the series. There are also new ones. There's the Mayor, his wife, his two children and his "yes" man.
I once found a character in a research book on Egypt from a single sentence. "Mermeshu was his name." Amazingly he took form and set forth on a time travel story.
How do you find and name your characters? Sometimes, for me, this takes the msot time but I love Plots and they come fairly easy.
My
Places
https://www.facebook.com/janet.l.walters.3?v=wall&story_f
http://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com
https://www.pinterest.com/shadyl717/
Buy
Mark
https://bookswelove.net/walters-janet-lane/
Saturday, June 17, 2023
After the Idea, Plot Comes Next by Janet Lane Walters #BWLAuthor #MFRWAuthor #writing #plot
Friday, June 9, 2023
Bon Voyage To Meee by Vanessa C. Hawkins
So curretly I am en route to Toronto Ontario, so I fear there will be but a small blog post this month. I flew via Flair Airlines without a hitch, and am typing this up as I sit in the very front of the Robert Q bus. What a flight, I must say! I was glad to have a bit of liquid courage on the plane because the landing was rocky at best. The wildfires in Canada mean the skies are clouded in smog, which I suppose corresponds to mega turbulance. However, I am lucky to find myself here and on the way to plan and map out another book!
It was a lovely view in New Brunswick today at least. Though, if you have ever flown flair you may know how cheap it is. This comes at a price however, as every little thing has an extra charge. For example, carry on baggage. Now... I am but a humble writer. I'm no Stephen King nor Dean Koontz. I can't afford all the extras can I?
Well... not on a novelists salary! So, I planned ahead! I wore all my clothes on the plane, packed a fanny pack, and made sure even my boots had pockets!
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| I wasn't kidding! Good for one pair of underpants! |
Now that means as soon as I arrived I had to change. Holy heck its hot here! New Brunswick was crisp 10 degrees maybe, but by the time I arrived at TO I was due for a wardrobe change. I'm only here a few short days, but I am hoping to take in some sights while I'm here. I'm also going to be meeting up with my co-author for the Ballroom Riot series, Tara Woodworth!
I'll have more to report next month when I return from my first trip since the pandemic! So stayed tuned then and keep writing!
I hate writing introductions because my first thought it how can I make this as extra as possible. Honestly, I'm not that interesting. I write books sometimes and hang out with my family and eat nacho's on Friday nights when my daughter goes to her Grandparent's house. Sometimes I dress spooky, but lately because of Covid (yeah... Covid. Right...) I've become too fluffy to fit into my goth clothes. I'm married. I like comics, and I like sleeping in, though I rarely get to do it these days.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
Writing with Pets by Eileen O'Finlan
As people who share their homes and lives with pets can attest, their furry companions are often involved in everything that goes on at home. For me, that includes writing. My two cats, Smokey (now a Rainbow Bridge Angel Kitty) and Autumn Amelia even inspired my latest book, All the Furs and Feathers. In some ways, they helped me write it since I often took my cues from their personalities.
It's one thing to pay attention to the pets, think about how they might respond given various fictional situations, and put it in a story. It's quite another to have them physically involved while trying to write that (or any other) story.
About a year ago, I became a Rover.com sitter and began boarding small dogs in my home for weekends while their pet parents were away. Two of them, Chewy and Bruce Lee have become regular clients. They are getting used to me spending time on my laptop while they are staying with me, though if a writing session runs too long in their estimation, they make their feelings known and cut it short. However, the last time they were at my house, Bruce Lee decided that rather than trying to drag me away from my writing, he'd help out. Here's how that went:
Eileen O’Finlan was a member of the Worcester Writers Workshop for many years and now hosts a writing group at her home in Holden.
Kelegeen, published by BWL Publishing, is her debut novel. She is currently working on the sequel to be titled Erin's Children set in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Eileen is a holds a Bachelor’s Degree in history and a Master’s Degree in pastoral ministry.
When not writing or working her full-time job, Eileen facilitates online courses for the University of Dayton, Ohio.
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