Laura's Books and Blogs

Whistling Kettle Summer Iced Teas Banner

Summer Screenings with The Whistling Kettle Summer Iced Teas

Laura - Jul 21, 2025 0

I consume content, particularly screen content, seasonally. Each season has certain shows, movies, and vlogs that I love to watch to match the weather outside and the general atmosphere at

Arts and Entertainment Travel

US Ghost Adventures – Cincinnati Ghost Tour + Discount Code

Laura - Jul 18, 2025 1

American Halloween fans love to say that the start of the Halloween season is now July 5th. Once the last Fourth of July firework goes off, people are eager to

Book Reviews Interviews

Icy Secrets, Scandalous Lies by Sharon Kay Book Review and Author Interview

Laura - Jul 14, 2025 0

We all know someone who has trouble follow them wherever they go. When trouble is their bread and butter, though, they welcome it with open arms. Sharon Kay’s heroine, Michelle

Arts and Entertainment Guest Posts

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 1

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