Thoughts
I write a lot. Essays. Articles. Blog posts. All of them sharing what I’m thinking about. Maybe you think about these things, too.
How (Maybe) to Publish Your Work
Language is communication, and stories tell us where we’ve been and—at their best—where we’re going.
The Mills Are Closing
We can regret some changes and applaud others; but they’re going to happen, with or without our approval, whether or not we’re prepared for them.
Is Technology Leaving Readers Behind?
As writers, one of our obligations, I think, is to be the vehicle that enables readers to ask these questions in a safe fictional space. Raising the questions in fiction doesn’t make them any less real, or any less urgent, or any less difficult, but it serves the same function as fairytales and horror stories, the option of experiencing fears without also experiencing immediate and life-threatening danger.
Why Women Like Murder Mysteries
We like to see justice done, especially when we perceive that the real world isn’t playing fair with us.
Is AI the Beginning or the End?
I’m not worried—yet. AI can’t do what I can do—yet. Computers can’t just create stories in a void; instead, they’re given a massive number of exemplars—works that are similar to what the computer is tasked to create—which is then broken down into data. AI reads the data using statistical algorithms to recognize patterns and relationships.
Does The Look-Inside-the-Book Feature Hurt Authors?
I want potential readers to check out my books on virtual shelves in the same way I want them looking through them in a bookshop or library.
How Stories Stay With Us …. Sometimes Forever
It reminds me in my own writing to allow for that glimmer of hope, to show that evil needs to be confronted and that goodness can prevail.
Wait, You’re Doing WHAT?
You locked the door to your house carefully when you went out. You come home after dark and find the door mysteriously cracked open and darkness within. What do you do?
Why Read Stories?
How can you develop empathy? Read stories! Stories—whether fiction or nonfiction—invite you into someone else’s life. They allow you to feel pain and sorrow, joy and transformation; to love deeply and hate just as deeply; to achieve and to fail.
A Tour of My Life via Books
Jeannette de Beauvoir answers questions about her own reading preferences and habits.
Why Read About Murder?
We mystery readers really, really like to read about death. Suspicious deaths, orchestrated deaths, clever deaths, carefully planned deaths. What is up with that?
Biblio-What?
The method is simple. You think or pray your question or intention, close your eyes, open the book at a random page, and point somewhere on the page. The line or passage you’ve pointed to is your answer.
Language and Racism
I am a white woman who grew up not only with white privilege but with economic privilege as well. And until fairly recently, I’ve also been something of a curmudgeon when it comes to language usage and grammar.
That’s not a very good combination.
What's on YOUR bookshelf?
A well-stocked bookshelf has become the essential videoconferencing prop. Who among us hasn’t scanned the titles of books used in background shots?
We Need Murder Mysteries More Than Ever Now
We love murder mysteries because they are redemptive, they give us hope, and help us move from fear to reassurance.
The Rise of the “Cozy” Mystery
The amateur who figures out the crime does so through the understanding of human nature and motivation.
Why Reading in a Pandemic Is Life Itself
Which is why reading now, and continuing to read, is a radical act. It means caring about other people.
When Mystery and History Combine
It’s not just a matter of dates; it’s a matter of a whole culture that needs to be understood.
Judging a Book by its Cover
Others’ mileage will vary, of course. But I have all this on my mind today specifically as my publisher reveals the new cover for my new novel… and I’m already fretting about the next.
A Walden Retreat for Readers
If you’re a reader, then you’re a thoughtful person, and I always try to write about subjects that will help you think.