Tag Archives: Gina Carroll Howard

Why I am not writing


An unseen hand dials back the blue, turning up the fuchsia and coral. Greens fade to black, impressionist trees against dusk sky. The bay basks in reflected glory. Like a besotted teen, I cannot turn away. At four, 14 and … Continue reading

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Persistence


There’s a lot of building going on in my neighborhood. Just yesterday, I saw a male trying to get construction materials into one of the new homes he was putting together for his mate. He was having a few problems … Continue reading

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Did you hear…?


“People don’t live in a vacuum. What are your characters talking about when the reporter isn’t around?” That was my “duh” moment from last week’s critique group. I should have remembered that St. Mary Mead provides endless resources for Miss … Continue reading

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It’s not about us


The neat square of sunlight in their front yard was all the sisters needed to enjoy the false spring day. The younger girl sprawled on a blue beach towel, her head bent over the pages of her chapter book, a … Continue reading

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Hail, queen of psychological thrillers


To say that Ruth Rendell writes thrillers is to say that Alfred Hitchcock directed scary movies. It is the most under of understatements. Like Hitchcock, Ruth Rendell gets inside the skins of her disturbed characters. We, the readers, learn to … Continue reading

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When cultures collide


Write about what you know. We’ve all heard that piece of advice. Even so, sometimes we slip in a place or person about which we know very little. When it’s something obvious, such as a location, means for murder or … Continue reading

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I resolve


The new year brings a fresh start and a list of personal resolutions designed to make us healthier, happier and better people. Writers are no exception. We vow to write more and more consistently and hone our craft. However, like … Continue reading

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Freezing laughter in amber


Put down that pen and look around. As writers, we can get stuck inside our heads, spending more time with our characters than with those around us. Bad idea. We need the real world to inform our writing. The way … Continue reading

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Falling in love again


When a friend recently said he had fallen out of love with his novels-in-progress, I could relate. There are days when I tire of Janelle or feel the plot is plodding. I want to tell the reporter to get a … Continue reading

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Sweat the small stuff


We’ve all seen it – a bruise that moves from the left to right eye after a cutaway, a hat that flies off in one scene but is firmly in place in the next, a lamp broken during a struggle … Continue reading

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