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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Scenic Waterways, Icy Bergs, Wicked Mists, and Rowdy Good Fun! #Alaska

Sep 21
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Scenic Waterways, Icy Bergs, Wicked Mists, and Rowdy Good Fun! #Alaska

"More than anything there is the sense of scale: you can fly for hours and hours of Alaska and you look down and all you'll see is forests, lakes and snow-capped mountains, with no sign whatsoever of human beings." Steve Backshall I truly appreciate Steve Backshall's quote above. The scale of Alaska is off the charts--I mean I knew it was our largest state geographically but being here in person has been eye opening. Looking over at the GIF 👈 where the map of Alaska is super

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: State 49, Alaska!

Veronica Cline Barton

Sep 14
3 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: State 49, Alaska!

"By acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid." — Theodore Roosevelt Grrrrreetings from State 49! This past week the OH and I began our much-anticipated, northern journey along the coast of Alaska. We stayed in Anchorage for a few days before setting sail on the Viking Ocean Cruise ship, the Orion, on Saturday. This is such an amazing part of the country--spectacular scenery, colorful carvings, friendly folk (love their pioneering spirit and humorous take

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Wicked Mist Is Here!

Veronica Cline Barton

Sep 7
3 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Wicked Mist Is Here!

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes..." William Shakespeare Well, hello September and with it, a big #WOOHOO for the arrival of book 3 in The Haunted Series, Wicked Mist! Bibiana Krall and I co-authored another collection of haunting tales to entertain our readers for this coming season of scary. I am super excited for this latest collaboration--you're going to read five unique tales with a spooky twist, and one that... well let's just say itsh a bi

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Veronica's #WritersDairy: Ode to the Summer of '22

Veronica Cline Barton

Aug 31
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDairy: Ode to the Summer of '22

“August has passed, and yet summer continues by force to grow. They sprout secretly between the chapters of the year, covertly included between its pages.” - Jonathan Safran Foer Here we are--the last day of August! Now, I know we have a few more days (okay, maybe lots) of sweltering heat and blinding sunshine left, but there's something about entering September that brings me a breezy, mental boost. The promise of cool, crisp days, pumpkin spice everything, and let's not for

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Upstairs/Downstairs; Positioning the Class Divide in a Storyline

Veronica Cline Barton

Aug 24
6 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Upstairs/Downstairs; Positioning the Class Divide in a Storyline

“I think accepting change is quite as important as defending the past.” — Cora, Lady Grantham, Downton Abbey, Season 3 In today's post I want to chat about the cross-genre topic of incorporating and positioning the class divide in a story. I'll be focusing the discussion on what happens when servants are included in the storyline with the high society crowd. Their interactions did happen IRL, despite the separate entrances and staircases. Let's think about it, if a person was

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Coming this Christmas Season, It's A Novel Noel!

Veronica Cline Barton

Aug 17
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Coming this Christmas Season, It's A Novel Noel!

“Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.” ― Mary Ellen Chase I know it's still August, but... This week I'm super excited to have the cover reveal and give a short summary of the Christmas tales included in A Novel Noel: Rikkhe St. Claire Hygge & Bisous Holiday Mysteries! Rikkhe's back for an evening of storytelling with her Mor--Anna; Papa--Henri; former nanny, current companion--Christine; and her main man--Pete. We'll be gathering by the fire once again

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Calling All Mystery Lovers: Meet the Authors of #MurdersWeWrite!

Veronica Cline Barton

Aug 10
5 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Calling All Mystery Lovers: Meet the Authors of #MurdersWeWrite!

"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle Imagine if you will, a place where like literary minds interact--exchanging ideas, introducing new concepts, acquainting you with new books to read, and films to watch... No, you're not in the Twilight Zone, you're in the #MurdersWeWrite room on the Clubhouse app!! (BTW, it's free to join) This past weekend was our 12th deadly chat session where we discussed the mystery topic,

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: It's a 'Wonderful World' at the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters!

Veronica Cline Barton

Aug 3
3 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: It's a 'Wonderful World' at the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters!

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta Well, hello August! Last week my OH and I had the pleasure of experiencing one of our fav, summer traditions--a night at the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach! This wonderful program, where artworks come to life using real-life models, celebrates its 90th year in 2022! This year's theme was traveling the 'Wonderful World' and wow, what a performance it was! Travel posters, paintings fr

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: A Far-Out Chat with The Martian Diaries #Author H.E. Wilburson!

Veronica Cline Barton

Jul 27
11 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: A Far-Out Chat with The Martian Diaries #Author H.E. Wilburson!

"For a time, I believed that mankind had been swept out of existence, and that I stood there alone, the last man left alive." H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds Can you believe it's been 125 years since H.G. Wells released his groundbreaking SciFi tale, The War of the Worlds? Today, it is my pleasure to have as my guest, the multi-talented, award-winning author, H.E. Wilburson! His trilogy, The Martian Diaries, continues the famed saga of the perilous, Martian invasion in grand st

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Planning the Next Book; 5 Questions I Ask Before I Start Writing!

Veronica Cline Barton

Jul 20
5 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Planning the Next Book; 5 Questions I Ask Before I Start Writing!

“You should employ your little grey cells” ― Agatha Christie Midway through 2022, guess what I'm up to? I've officially started the folder for Veronica's Books, 2023! At this time, three books are planned (with a possible 4th I'm noodling around on), Knocking lots of wood, next year I'll be releasing book 8 in My American Almost Royal Cousin Series, book 4 in The Haunted Series w/ Bibiana Krall; and book 3 in my Hygge & Bisous Holiday Mysteries series! #IndieAuthorBliss The t

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: The Allure of Places Where Things Go Bump in the Night...

Veronica Cline Barton

Jul 13
6 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: The Allure of Places Where Things Go Bump in the Night...

“Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see.” ― Edgar Allan Poe With Wicked Mist and A Novel Noel set to launch this fall, I've been mentally visiting a variety of mysterious places during the writing, to set the scene for the stories. Did you ever wonder how a setting or locale acquires its eerie reputation? I'm talking about places where stories and experiences open up the haunted imaginings of the mind. What is their lure? Why do some of us seek out these in

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Reflections Under the Stars

Veronica Cline Barton

Jul 6
3 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Reflections Under the Stars

“it's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine ... it's summertime!” ― Kenny Chesney Well, hello, July--let the second half of the year commence! This year for the 4th, the OH and I decided to venture out after dark (Gasp!) to watch the sunset and fireworks at the beach. We went to our fav, coastal hangout, the Ritz in Laguna for a bird's eye view of the sparklers exploding over the ocean. We haven't done this for a couple of years, but I felt compelled this year to venture o

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Something Wicked This Way Comes...

Veronica Cline Barton

Jun 29
3 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Something Wicked This Way Comes...

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes..." William Shakespeare, Macbeth Ah, the joys of being a writer when one's project is well on the road to completion...the manuscript is in final proofing (by the fabulous Wordrefiner, Mark Schultz), the author notes written, and the Halloween recipes bubbling in the cauldron (and martini shaker) for final taste testing. Now comes the wicked--fun part---marketing! Today, author Bibiana Krall and I are pleased as w

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: A #Writer's Dilemma; Mixing Tales of Mystery with the Holidays

Veronica Cline Barton

Jun 22
6 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: A #Writer's Dilemma; Mixing Tales of Mystery with the Holidays

“Ah, but you must have a Christmas uncomplicated by murder.” ― Agatha Christie Less than two weeks to go 'til Christmas in July! Who's ready to get their summer #HoHoHo on? Let's not forget the scary tale countdown to Halloween--pumpkins will be flying soon, offering loads of marketing tricks & treats! I've focused on Halloween and Christmas because these are probably the two most popular holidays depicted in mystery stories. As a writer, the dilemma becomes how to tell a tal

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Coastal Kismet!

Veronica Cline Barton

Jun 15
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Coastal Kismet!

“Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you, smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, "Come and find out".” ― Joseph Conrad Wow, what a week-and-a-half it has been! The OH and I had a great time visiting the kids and grandkiddies in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It's a lovely resort town with loads of fun activities and great food. There are over 2000 lakes in Idaho,

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: It's a Jungle Out There!

Veronica Cline Barton

Jun 8
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: It's a Jungle Out There!

“Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't, they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.” ― Ray Bradbury This past week of road tripping has been filled with inspiring, summer scenery. In Las Vegas, I have to say the conservatory at the Bellagio hotel took our breaths away with their floral finery. For this seasonal display, their inspiration was the jungle, and wow, did they deliver! All the displays are made from bits and pieces of flor

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: #InspirationResearch, Viva Las Vegas!

Veronica Cline Barton

May 25
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: #InspirationResearch, Viva Las Vegas!

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” – Bill Bryson Let the summer road trips begin! Finally, it's that time of year once again, (and way overdue) for a bit of #InspirationResearch! We're heading to Las Vegas to soak up the sun and see a few new attractions this desert city has to offer. Let's not forget abo

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: The Countdown Begins for the U.S.A. Premiere of #DowntonAbbey; A New Era!

Veronica Cline Barton

May 18
4 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: The Countdown Begins for the U.S.A. Premiere of #DowntonAbbey; A New Era!

“You are a woman with a brain and reasonable ability. Stop whining and find something to do.” — Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess #Squee It's T-minus 2-ish days until the USA film premiere of Downton Abbey; A New Era and I for one cannot wait! I am a diehard fan because not only do I love the series, characters, and storylines, but also because this series changed my life. I've stated in previous posts it was the end of the season 6 episodes that propelled me into my writing c

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: May Mystery Topic: What Keeps a Cozy Series from Going D.O.A.?

Veronica Cline Barton

May 11
6 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: May Mystery Topic: What Keeps a Cozy Series from Going D.O.A.?

"For me, finishing a book in a series is kind of like the day after Christmas. I can't help but start the count down and dreams of a new tale, pondering where my beloved characters will decide to take me on the next, cozy excursion." ---Veronica Cline Barton, author, My American Almost Royal Cousin Series It was interesting looking for an author quote to headline the mystery topic post this week---I couldn't find one, LOL! It seems the famous authors had no words to opine on

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Veronica's #WritersDiary: Author K.R.M. Morgan on His Thrilling Release; The New Republic!

Veronica Cline Barton

May 4
7 min

Veronica's #WritersDiary: Author K.R.M. Morgan on His Thrilling Release; The New Republic!

“History is moving pretty quickly these days, and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.” ― Ian Fleming Happy May, and may the 4th be with you! Today I'm delighted to have as my guest, British author Konrad Morgan. He writes thrilling adventures featuring a suave, sophisticated, and oh so deadly MC, Sir Tavish Stewart, who is on a mission to save the world from some very determined villains! His stories take you around the globe for suspense-filled adventures that wi

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