Fresh FIction Box Not To Miss
Sheila Roberts | Dieting
Uncategorized / May 2, 2008

Dieting can be hazardous to your health. Take exercise for example. A girl could get Plantar Fasciitis jogging across the mall to Cinnabon. She could sprain her wrist fighting with her husband over the last piece of chocolate. You’ve got to be careful. Okay, you’ve got to be serious, too, which is why this last year I finally brought in diet reinforcements: my girlfriends. Dieting is something a woman shouldn’t do alone. It’s too hard, too lonely, too discouraging. But with girlfriends along for support, you’ve got a fighting chance to win the fat wars. The power of female friendship is huge. At least that’s what I’m betting on. And that’s why I wrote my current book Bikini Season. I know I’m not the only one out there who struggles against the call of chocolate éclairs, potato chips, and banana cream pie. I’m hoping that after reading about my characters’ diet adventures women will get inspired to start their own diet clubs. I’ve offered plenty of great recipes in the book to help you on your way. And, speaking of helping, feel free to visit my website (http://www.sheilasplace.com/) and enter the diet tip contest. Let’s keep the girlfriend power going….

Elizabeth Hoyt | Muses on Detours in Life and in Writing
Uncategorized / May 1, 2008

I’m writing my sixth historical book now—the third in The Legend of the Four Soldiers series—and already I’ve gone off my writing map. Writers generally fall into two groups: ones who plot out their story before they begin writing and those who wing it. I’m in the former camp, but here’s the thing: no matter how meticulously I plot before I write, no matter how much I try to foresee all eventualities, I always end up making detours from my plot. Detours, in writing as in life, are sometimes frustrating (How do I get back on the main road?) sometimes confusing (Can I get back to the main road?) but usually interesting, and sometimes revolutionary. For example. About ten years ago my life took a major detour. I was a stay-at-home mom living in the city where I’d grown up, spending what free time I had volunteering in a non-profit organization. Then my husband got a new job. In a different state. I wasn’t pleased, but my husband was the main breadwinner at that time in our family, so I pulled up my roots, left the non-profit I’d been so active in, and moved away from both family and friends….