Why was the March family so poor?
Far from being the sainted mother of Louisa May Alcott‘s LITTLE WOMEN, Marmee in Sarah Miller’s re-telling has a temper, and one sudden outburst of boiled-over fury ruined her family. What to do when your husband spends all his money on others? How I LOVED Marmee’s voice. The poor woman is so compassionate towards everyone. […]
How could a quiet bookworm become a ruthless female sniper?
A Historian-turned-Sniper Nicknamed “Lady Death” by the Nazis, Lyudmila Pavlichenko is a historian-turned-sniper who is so good at her craft that she tallies 309 Nazi deaths in the space of about 10 months. But Mila (as she is usually known) is not arrogant about this. She is only doing her duty. “I serve the Soviet […]
A Novel out of its time
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a novel out of its time. Miss Margaret Hale, the Heroine Unlike most Victorian misses Margaret Hale doesn’t flutter, faint, or claim that she is unable to understand anything complicated, as does her cousin Edith (who is the perfect foil for her.) No. Miss Margaret Hale is Queenly. […]
Happy Holidays 2022 to Everyone!
Our Holiday memories are like snowflakes that gather and dance, each one beautiful and unique…and gone too soon… ~based upon Deborah Whipp
A Governess was a willing ally for Jane Austen’s mischievous ploys
I definitely didn’t expect to meet a governess who was a willing ally for Jane Austen’s mischievous ploys in this piece of fan fiction. What a lovely surprise! And it was so well-expressed by the voice of narrator Bessie Carter. Anne Sharpe’s Early Life The first half of the novel is well-written, if not exactly […]
Does a daily drink of news make your head throb?
UKRAINE HAMMERED BY BARRAGE OF MISSILES HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE CRUSHED TO DEATH IN SEOUL IRANIAN DRONES HARD TO SHOOT DOWN Does a daily drink of news make your head throb? Do these headlines add up to a jackhammer in your temples? A drooping of your shoulders and spine? A tangle in your stomach? Be taken […]
Meet the people on my team…Today’s person is Catherine Adams, Developmental Editor Extraordinaire
I first encountered Catherine back in 2009. In those days she was transitioning from the Iowa Book Doctors. Subsequently she opened her own business (Inkslinger Editing.) Writing my first novel “Thwarted Queen” is the hardest thing I have ever done, and I benefitted from Catherine’s wonderful suggestions.
THE CRUCIBLE by Arthur Miller, narrated by Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed Begley Jr., Hector Elizondo, and others, produced by LA Theater Works and Audible.
This is one of those famous works I had never experienced until now when I came across the audio version of this play. Of course, I knew what it was about. Of course, I knew it was about the infamous Salem Witch trials which took place in the Puritan Theocracy of Massachusetts in 1692. Of […]
LEAVING TIME by Jodi Picoult, narrated by Rebecca Lowman, Abigail Revasch, Kathe Mazur & Mark Deakins
LEAVING TIME is one of those punning titles that I love about Jodi Picoult novels. To me, a woman who grew up in Britain, it sounds as if Ms. Picoult is talking about a public house (or pub), those last orders for drinks. But this whole novel is all about leaving, loss and grief, and […]
Welcome to Cynthia Sally Haggard!
Just to let you all know that my NEW website Cynthia Sally Haggard is now LIVE, and this is where you will find my blogs, books, freebies and ways to contact me if you are so inclined! Please feel free to drop a comment, or just say “hello.” I look forward to meeting you all. […]
