An excerpt from Chapter 2 of The Unmarriable Kind by Melina Druga “You wish to speak to me, sir?” Pen in hand, Steward sat behind his neatly organized desk and glanced up when he heard her voice. “Yes, I do,” he said, setting his pen on the stand beside the inkwell. Lucretia…
An excerpt from Chapter 5 from Rose’s Assignment by Melina Druga “Hello, Mama,” Rose said, maneuvering up the aisle trying to prevent her voluminous dress from injuring the tender plants. Her mother looked up from her work and turned toward the voice. “Rose. It’s a Monday. What do you want?” Rose stopped walking…
If you’re a frequent visitor to my blog, you may have noticed something is different. Most of my blog posts are missing. Don’t worry. They haven’t been deleted. They’ve simply moved. When I started blogging, I was in the developmental stage for Angel of Mercy. All my posts were companion pieces to the novel. Little…
An excerpt from Chapter 3 from Journey of Hope by Melina Druga Lavinia Fox Winthrop’s shriveled and cracked hands appeared two decades older than the rest of her 42 years. While the skin on her face still appeared youthful, though tired, her hands betrayed a lifetime of drudgery. Claire eyed her mother and wondered if…
Journey of Hope Available January 11 Journey of Hope, an historical fiction novella by Melina Druga, tells the story of Claire Appleton, who lives a simple life in 1829 New Brunswick with her husband, Harold, and their infant son. The family inhabits a shack, complete with dirt floors and icicles that hang from the ceiling…
When it comes to fiction writing, which is better? First person or third person narratives? While for some it might be a matter of personal preference, or genre, there are clear pros and cons to each. Let’s take a look, and then I’ll tell you why I write in a specific narrative. Pros and Cons…
How many genres do I write. Three. I am a multi-genre author. That wasn’t always the plan. When I was a child beginning my writing journey, I dreamed of becoming a famous novelist. This is still the plan, but it’s taken a much more circuitous than I ever anticipated. I achieved a degree in English…
Have I ever scrapped a work in progress? The answer is “yes.” When I was a teen and young adult, I wrote dozens of novels I never published. However, if you’re referring to works in progress since I started my professional career, then the answer is one. In 2020, I made it to the beginning…
The amount of research I conduct for my novels varies considerably, but as an author of historical fiction, research is vital. As the History Quill puts it, “One of the trickiest aspects of writing historical fiction is doing all the research required to create an immersive, authentic historical world.” Luckily, I love history, and I…
How did I get the idea for my latest work in progress? Well, it depends on which one you’re referring to. I have several. In 2022, I will launch three historical fiction novellas, Journey of Hope, Rose’s Assignment and The Unmarriable Kind. All three were inspired by the WWI trilogy. Below are the author notes…
Without characters you don’t have a story. So how do authors develop them? There are many different methods. For this blog, I’m sharing some tips from writing experts. Novel Writing Help cautions against creating characters that are “dislikeable or, worse, deadly dull.” To prevent this, the website recommends: Characters don’t need to be beautiful, eloquent…
Are my characters based on real people? The quick answer to this is “no.” However, it’s a bit more complicated than that. While none of my characters are based directly on someone, several are named after real people and several are representative of people who existed. In addition, all my characters feel real to me,…
