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What We Can Learn from Ethnic Movies and Books…

and suddenly the world becomes a little smaller, strangers become neighbors, and our differences don’t seem so foreign because they are the uniqueness of a friend or the peculiarities of a neighbor, so they are not as frightening as those of a stranger, nor a foreign as someone living half a world away. Continue reading What We Can Learn from Ethnic Movies and Books…

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In Honor of My Interview with Jeff Aydelette of The County Compass

All of my stories have family as part of the theme whether it is the family we’re born with or one we create. Even though my stories are fiction, I feel it is important to portray honest relationships. Red Steel and Willow’s Retreat also show the family that comes about through shared experiences, such as being part of the local volunteer firefighters. Continue reading In Honor of My Interview with Jeff Aydelette of The County Compass

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Welcome Sev Tok to Creekside Cafe

Sev is featured in the Canadian TV docuseries, Encounter: UFO – Physical Contact. Currently, Sev is in talks with producers of a Netflix series.  She has been interviewed around the world,  and speaks at international conferences. She was the Master of Ceremonies at MUFON’s International Symposium 2022 and is MUFON’s (Mutual UFO Network) Assistant State Director for North Carolina, a Field Investigator, and on the Executive Committee of the Experiencer Resource Team. North Carolina is usually in the Top 10 most UFO sightings in the country. Continue reading Welcome Sev Tok to Creekside Cafe

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Welcome Murdina MacDonald to Creekside Cafe

Who sees the spiritual beauty of these people in this forgotten speck in the world, this little village, this little Lewis, this little piece of Scotland?   My father “saw” them and they responded back by “seeing” him and giving him as an eternal reward his identity, his place, his contentment, his home. Continue reading Welcome Murdina MacDonald to Creekside Cafe

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Welcome Veronica Krug to Creekside Cafe

Both of my low fantasy novels include a group of four friends, Kayla, Jerry, Sarah, and Nick, who have a mystery to solve. The first, Good Beasts Bad Creatures, focuses on Kayla, Jerry, and Grimalkin; a panther who escapes a farm and is the progeny of the Beast of Bladenboro. The Beast of Bladenboro was a creature who terrorized the town in the 50s. Continue reading Welcome Veronica Krug to Creekside Cafe

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The Americans are Coming host Shopping Spree!

Hey, Readers. Here’s a chance to win a $500 Amazon eGift Card just in time for BLACK FRIDAY from The No. 1 Site for #Reader Giveaways~~The Kindle Book Review. Just click the link and enter (everyday if you want). It’s easy & fun. If you love #reading, enter now; giveaway ends November 23, 2022. Click here for details ~> http://ow.ly/XAN750LuO3i Continue reading The Americans are Coming host Shopping Spree!

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Welcome Sirus to my Midnight Cafe

I want my books to be a treat, a needlessly decadent queer narrative. All my beloved characters straddle that morally grey line, and I want readers – whether they are queer or not – to be able to enjoy reading queer characters whose queerness is not their defining trait. They love, mourn, plot, and yes – commit horrible war crimes –  as people first and foremost Continue reading Welcome Sirus to my Midnight Cafe

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AI Artificial Intelligence and Audiobooks

I recently listened to a Draft2Digital interview with Google Play Product Manager, Ryan Dingler about their auto narration through AI (artificial intelligence). If you want to learn more about it, check out this YouTube link https://youtu.be/2BuxxC-cppM I found Google Play easy to set up and use. I still want to have the books professionally narrated by an actor but until I can afford that, this … Continue reading AI Artificial Intelligence and Audiobooks

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Starting in Medias Res

If I start reading and a character is being shot at or chased, I’m interested to see what happens next. BUT…I also enjoy getting to know a character a bit before they’re thrown into the pot of boiling water. The rom coms where we see a little bit of normal life before everything goes haywire, or the cozy mystery that starts with what appears to be just an average day in the life of the sleuth or the accused. Continue reading Starting in Medias Res

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Welcome Sweet September!

Well, I have done it again. I have allowed myself to get so busy that I am running around chasing my tail. You would think after taking the HB 90 Bootcamp and following Sarra Cannon’s Heartbreathing YouTube channel that I would understand the perils of burning myself out, but I guess for me it seems to be feast or famine. For a few months I … Continue reading Welcome Sweet September!

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Tea with Regency Author, Kelly Miller

Regency Author, Kelly Miller Visits the Creekside Café Author Bio: Award-winning author Kelly Miller is a native Californian and Anglophile, who made her first visit to England in 2019. When not pondering a plot point or a turn of phrase, she can be found playing the piano, singing, or walking her dogs. Kelly Miller resides in Silicon Valley with her husband, daughter, and their many … Continue reading Tea with Regency Author, Kelly Miller

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Crab Pasta

A friend gave us some crabmeat already picked out and ready to go into a recipe! I looked up a couple of recipes online and checked to what I have, if you know me you also know I sort of go by a recipe. 2- Tablespoons Butter 1- Tablespoon Olive Oil Garlic 6 cloves chopped or in my case 1/4 jar chopped garlic and garlic … Continue reading Crab Pasta

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Guest Blogger, Tyler Wittkofsky

Today, I’d like to welcome guest blogger, Tyler Wittkofsky. Tyler is no stranger. He’s been on my blog several times with author interviews and promoting his books. If you follow me on social media, you have probably seen some of Tyler’s posts. He is an advocate for mental health. Tyler is open about his own diagnosis and shares his struggles with the development of his … Continue reading Guest Blogger, Tyler Wittkofsky

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Holiday Romances for Less Than $1!

A YouTube video fiasco, a hurricane and the threat of losing her aunt’s inn leaves Maddie Henries with no choice but to trust Cole Harrell. Cole isn’t a bad guy. He just has the misfortune of being kin to the man who her sister’s heart. An enemies to lovers romance, this holiday story will make you believe anything is possible at Christmas. https://books.bookfunnel.com/holidayone/hj4s43yyey Continue reading Holiday Romances for Less Than $1!

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October is almost over

When things go bump in the night… This has been a busy month. It was supposed to be a month dedicated to writing, finishing my two Christmas novellas and working on my NaNoWriMo project. My friend, Vickie and I went to a writers’ retreat in Murfreesboro where we both were inspired to write something new. We had a lovely farewell ceremony for our fellow writer, … Continue reading October is almost over

My Interview with Awesome Gang

Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.I have published eight books, nine if you include the box set for my first three books. I’m currently working on three books, two are part of my current series, The Harrell Family Chronicles. The third book is something totally different, a historical series I’ve been playing with for several years. What is the name … Continue reading My Interview with Awesome Gang

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Story Boarding

Maddie doesn’t have time for men, especially not one named Cole Harrell. Men are what got her in this trouble to start with. Between her cheating ex, her conniving cameraman and Cole’s brother, Trent…she’d had her fill of men and so has her sister. Even if he does look good in a beard and a tool belt, she is not interested in any one with last name Harrell. Continue reading Story Boarding

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K B’s Interview with Me

K.B.: Hello and welcome to Creekside Café, Sherri Hollister’s virtual café where writers connect! I’m K.B. Davenport, author of Magic in Autumn Springs and your guest interviewer this week. I’ll be chatting with Sherri about writing, life and what she has in store for us next. Hello, Sherri! Thanks for letting me interview you this week!  Sherri: Oh wow, KB, it’s strange to be on the other side. … Continue reading K B’s Interview with Me

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Christmas party in July

https://books.bookfunnel.com/christmas_in_july/b5ssnp1aog Evergreen Crystals was supposed to be my first true romance but as I was writing it I just got stuck. After attending a writers’ retreat weekend with my friend Adrienne Dunning, she made me realize that what I enjoyed writing was suspense thrillers with romantic elements. That night I started rewriting Evergreen Crystals and it became more than I expected it to be. I … Continue reading Christmas party in July

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Have a Heart

https://cota.org/campaigns/COTAforLainee/blog/our-story Our Story Posted June 2, 2021 Lainee Jordan is a 14-year-old girl who loves horses. She is awaiting a heart transplant and can use all the help and prayers out there! The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to … Continue reading Have a Heart

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Celebrating Father’s Day with My Books

My daddy isn’t here any longer but his memory lives on in my sons, in my memories and in the stories I write. He wasn’t perfect, we often butted heads, probably because we were too much alike, but he is missed and he is still a part of our lives. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and to those who do the job of daddy, thank you for stepping up. Continue reading Celebrating Father’s Day with My Books

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Welcome Back to Creekside Cafe Tiffany Christina Lewis

I’d like to welcome my fellow crime fiction author, Tiffany Christina Lewis back to Creekside Café. Y’all may remember our previous interview. Tiffany is a publisher at Rebellion LIT, she works tirelessly to support other authors. I was lucky enough to have been interviewed on Rebellion LIT. Welcome Tiffany, it’s so good to have you back. Tiffany: Thank you for speaking with me again Sherri! … Continue reading Welcome Back to Creekside Cafe Tiffany Christina Lewis

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A Twist on Traditional Spaghetti

1 pound ground Turkey 1 pound Italian sausage 2 Tablespoons Italian Salad Dressing 1 can White Kidney Beans or Cannellini Beans 1 Can mushroom soup 1 bag frozen spinach 1 can crushed tomatoes 2-3 cloves garlic 1/4 cup chopped Onion 1/4 cup roasted red pepper Italian seasonings (oregano, basil and rosemary) to taste, I’m heavy-handed Spaghetti noodles cooked Parmigiana cheese Mozzarella cheese Cook meat, crumble … Continue reading A Twist on Traditional Spaghetti

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Writing Competition

Dear Writers: In 2021, Haunted Pamlico and the Pamlico Writers Group are teaming up again to sponsor the second-annual Haunt Season Writing Competition. We’re seeking poems, ghost stories, creepy tales, science fiction or horror fiction related to the haunting season, which peaks in October. We will accept prose entries of 2,000 words or poems of unspecified length by email at hauntedpamlico1@gmail.com. We’ll take submissions from May … Continue reading Writing Competition

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Fight Scenes from My Writer Friends

My friends have sent examples of fight scenes from their books. See the variety of fights and how they set them up. As you read them, I realize that they are out of context but see how they set them up, the emotions, the choreography of the fight. Study the scenes. When you read a book you love in the genre you want to write, … Continue reading Fight Scenes from My Writer Friends

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Tips and Hacks for Writing a Fight or Action Scene

Writing a Fight or Action Scene Some of these ideas can be used to write other scenes, especially romantic action scenes but without the fighting unless you are into that, no judgement here. Like sex scenes, fight scenes are often added to a story to make it more interesting but if you do not engage the reader prior to the scene or make the scene … Continue reading Tips and Hacks for Writing a Fight or Action Scene

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Following Other Authors into the Abyss

I am a HUGE advocate of studying writing craft books, listening to author interviews, and writing advice videos and podcasts. I take a lot of online classes in a variety of subjects to improve my writing. One of my pet peeves, the thing that will make me so angry, is when an author tells me their way, is the ONLY way to write! Now, I … Continue reading Following Other Authors into the Abyss