Banning Foods Leads Black Markets

I’ve been fascinated for some time with the idea of the government solving a problem by making something illegal, particularly popular items. Black markets emerge when getting goods becomes impossible. A century ago, Prohibition in America led to speakeasies and bootlegging. Many people made a lot of money providing a product the people wanted. Further, … Read more

Fun With Chapter Titles

Unknown to me until recently, chapter titles are controversial–in one of my writing groups, anyway. Opinions fell into a few broad buckets: liking them, doesn’t matter, and takes the reader out of the story. As far as taking the reader out of the story… If a title does that, what does just “Chapter 1” and … Read more

When the Ex Is Coming

This post is about characters in The Siege of Mars Gretchen learns James Wagoner, a war correspondent for the All News Network, is coming to Mars. Why he’s coming now makes her suspicious. No reporters arrived after she and Frank discovered a buried alien city over the Martian horizon. Even when reporters and inspectors descended … Read more