Laura's Books and Blogs

Why I Sent My Heroine to Hell And Why She Didn’t Wait for a Savior by Vanessa Smith, author of Fate’s Last Melody

Laura - Jul 11, 2025 0

Not all heroes wear capes—some wear burned-through flats When I first sat down to write Fate’s Last Melody, I didn’t plan to send my heroine to Hell. I just knew I

Interviews Writing and Reading

Editing and Publishing Tips From Indie Authors

Laura - Jul 7, 2025 3

Writing a book is something that anyone can sit down and do and come out with a finished product. But as many ways as there are to write a book,

Book Reviews Interviews

The Hidden Diary by Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar Book Review and Author Interview

Laura - Jun 30, 2025 0

As a kid in the early 90s, I loved borrowing paperback chapter books from the local library and devouring them over the course of a few days. Kid mystery books

Interviews

An Interview with Fantasy Author Peter Gribble

Laura - Jun 27, 2025 0

Peter Gribble is a writer and a lifelong student of history whose work explores the intersections of knowledge, power, and the human condition. His fantasy series, The City of the

Book Reviews Interviews

Aroughcoune by Mark Berton Book Review and Author Interview

Laura - Jun 23, 2025 0

One summer when I was a kid, our neighborhood was terrorized by raccoons. It really wasn’t as dramatic as I’m making it sound, but they would often knock over our

Guest Posts Writing and Reading

Halloween Books all Year Long! By Kristin Blakely, PhD

Laura - Jun 20, 2025 8

Why Halloween Books Deserve a Spot on Your Shelf throughout the year Costumes in the spring One day in May, some years ago – my youngest son (2 ½ at

Book Reviews Interviews

Saturn’s Favorite Music by Laura Lee Book Review and Author Interview

Laura - Jun 16, 2025 0

As a teen growing up in the late 90s, you could typically find me after school doing my homework parked in front of the couch watching MTV or up in

Interviews

Author Interview with Novelist Mark Sarvas

Laura - Jun 13, 2025 0

Mark Sarvas is the award-winning author of the novels @UGMAN (ITNA Press), Memento Park (FSG, Picador) and Harry, Revised (Bloomsbury). Memento Park is the winner of a 2019 American Book

Interviews Writing and Reading

The Writing Rituals of Indie Authors

Laura - Jun 9, 2025 3

Over the years, I’ve interviewed hundreds of indie authors on Laura’s Books and Blogs. The interview questions have evolved, but a lot of great writing advice has come out of

Guest Posts

From Actor to Author by Jane Lambert

Laura - Jun 6, 2025 0

As one door closes… In my forties life took an unexpected and unwelcome turn. Still grieving the loss of my mum, I then discovered my husband had been having an

Arts and Entertainment Lists

8 Great Things About Mad Scientists

Laura - Jun 2, 2025 1

In my classic horror character series, I’ve written about a lot of monsters and undead creatures, some of whom are purely evil while others are misunderstood or driven to do

Guest Posts

Child’s Play: Writing a Novel with Your Kid by Jessica Stilling

Laura - May 30, 2025 0

It was my then ten-year-old son who had the idea, it might be better to say the dream, to write what became the novel Posie Parker and the Bulldog Bully

Book Reviews

How To Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin Book Review

Laura - May 26, 2025 4

It’s very easy to take someone’s premonitions to heart. Whether it’s an off-the-cuff comment that you hear about yourself growing up or a supernatural prediction that you either dream or

Interviews

An Interview with Fantasy Author Maria Avramova

Laura - May 23, 2025 0

Maria Avramova is a writer, screenwriter, and director originally from the coastal town of Nessebar, Bulgaria. After many years in Sweden, her passion for storytelling grew into a career spanning

Book Reviews Interviews

Midnight Kiss by Farahilda Winters Book Review and Author Interview

Laura - May 19, 2025 0

A classic never dies, but vampires are back in a big way. It’s always a puzzle to figure out how to blend vampires and humans on this earth, particularly in