Let’s talk Harold Robbins! At one time, Harold was the bestselling author of his time, selling millions of copies. His best sellers made the leap to big screens and small, and the characters he created were played by Hollywood elites. But don’t think of his work as snapshots frozen in time or trapped in amber …
Category: blog
Sep 17
Spellbinding: Re-framing Harold Robbins for the 21st Century
Let’s talk Harold Robbins! At one time, Harold was the bestselling author of his time, selling millions of copies. His books made the leap to big screens and small, and the characters he created were played by Hollywood elites. But don’t think of his work as snapshots frozen in time or trapped in amber like …
Jun 27
Big Changes at Oghma
Fall is here, and Oghma Creative Media has seen incredible changes even during a pandemic. Our staff has grown, we have won national awards, and our children’s book division Young Dragons Press is flourishing. The Summer issue of Saddlebag Dispatches hit the virtual shelves and has sold more copies than ever before. Full of stories …
Apr 16
International Thank an Author Year
I am declaring today the beginning of “International Thank an Author Year”. To my knowledge, this has not been previously declared, and I believe it is long overdue. And since Earth does not yet have an international government, I believe that I am as qualified as anyone else to declare this event. Think about it …
Mar 29
A Guardian Angel
When I started this blog, my purpose was to give readers a look behind-the- scenes at the world of writing and publishing. To let others see what writers go through to write their books, to get published, and to promote the books they have written. I spend my days communicating with many writers, both those …
Feb 13
Let’s Talk About Love
Now that it is February, everyone’s mind is turning toward Valentine’s Day. Hearts, flowers, roses, boxes of chocolate, sappy greeting cards. The one day a year we are reminded and encouraged to pay special attention to the ones we love. And yes, I know many of us say we don’t need a Hallmark holiday to …
Jan 29
The Best Characters are Real
Avery lives in Canada, a country that I dream of visiting someday. A few years ago her mom Jodi looked at Avery’s back, and noticed that it looked, well, different. Jodi noticed that Avery’s spine appeared to curve a bit more than it should, and in a direction that it probably shouldn’t. A visit to the doctor confirmed their fears. Avery was diagnosed with scoliosis.
Jan 18
Goodbye to an American Legend
What do you do when you’re a master of words—a publisher of them, even—but none will come to describe the hole that has suddenly appeared in your heart? What do you do when your stock-in-trade can’t come close to conveying the depths of emptiness and despair at the loss of someone you looked up to …
Jan 16
The Woman Behind the Man
I’ve been quiet for a couple of weeks, because when my emotions are highest, my voice is the softest. As most of you know, a few weeks ago, right before Christmas, our dear friends Dusty and Pat Richards were in an automobile accident. The accident was dreadful, leaving both of them in the intensive care …
Dec 20
Thoughts and Prayers for Dusty
John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” And so it always goes. While we were all busy planning vacations, honeymoons, family gatherings, and drumming up Christmas cheer yesterday, two other members of our family had life throw them a curveball. For those of you who don’t yet know, …
Dec 18
NaNoWriMo Lessons
It’s December now, and NaNoWriMo has been over for more than a week. I promised to report back to you on my results, and here I am to keep that promise. Not surprisingly, I crashed and burned on my first attempt at winning NaNoWriMo. The reality is that I pretty well stopped writing after the …
Dec 01
Back in the Saddlebag Again
After a much needed, but much lamented, break from writing for this blog, I’m back on track again folks. I know the past couple of weeks have been busy for all of us, and the next month won’t be much better. The holiday season is always a busy time for everyone, and it’s not any …
Nov 11
Reminiscing with the Ranch Boss
Like many kids of my generation, I loved playing the now-politically-incorrect-on-so-many-levels game of Cowboys and Indians. When my friends and I played, we didn’t care which side we were on, it was all about the game. As we grew older, we still played the game, but now we rode horses and imagined that someday we …
Nov 05
Hello, my name is Cyndy, and I’m a Bookaholic
Small children love to hear stories, and I was no exception. My mother didn’t tell her own stories, so my bedtime stories came from books. I loved the books the stories came from, the look of the covers, the smell of the pages. Before I could read, I snuck books into my bed to sleep with the way …