October is Vampire Month and I just so happen to have a vampire author join me for episode 50 of Working Title podcast. I chat with Karen Ullo about her novel, Jennifer the Damned, and the stakes of a great vampire story.
Continue reading “Interview with Author Karen Ullo”Tag: novels
Attending the 2019 James River Writers Conference
Thoroughly enjoying the conference this year, which is no surprise. It’s my favorite time of year on my literary calendar. The best part is meeting wonderful, creative, supportive fellow writers.
Looks like Shadows Within is in good company!

Riffle Expert Suggestions
I have been a member of Riffle, though I’ve not been as active there as I have on GoodReads. Recently, Riffle invited its members to try out a new feature where you can get personal book recommendations from people, not bots.
I signed up. What followed was quite easy. You receive an email, follow the link, then click through a chat-like interface, selecting general categories to describe the type of book (fiction, non-fiction, audience, etc…), then optionally add books that are similar to the type of recommendation you’re seeking, and add any comments to help. Takes a minute.
As I’m ever hunting for good vampire novels, I requested one of a more upmarket/literary bent. Submitted my request. Later when I checked my inbox, I found three recommendations. I was delighted. The Riffle expert explained each of her recommendations and offered to look for more if either I had read them already or they did not match my interest.
No worries — these were great. I had not heard of any of the novels before, and each story appeared better than the last. So I added them all to my to-read list and will grab one as soon as possible.
My first run with Riffle’s Expert Suggestions was a great experience. I recommend that you try it if you can. If you do, let me know about it.
In case you’re curious, the novels recommended are:
- The Stress of her Regard by Tim Powers
- The Quick by Lauren Owen
- Suffer the Children by Craig Dilouie