Brook Allen
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I have a fabulous writing partner in San Diego who I have been working with on my current project. In one of her novel's scenes, Queen Anna of Denmark plays a pivotal roll in the story. That's all I'll reveal about her work, other than to say, I was compelled to share today's Spotlight with everyone, just because of the subject matter: Anna of Denmark. However, if you've never heard of this royal…
Whoever composed the adage "don't judge a book by its cover" knew NOTHING about the book industry. I always look at book covers, and if I was physically able to take a vote from all of you--my readers--I'll put money on the probability that you do, too. That being said, this week's guest on the Journal has one of the most glorious covers that I've ever seen. Scroll down and take a look, right now!…
Dear Readers, As promised, this week I'm sharing some of the modern research I've been doing for my upcoming story. There are some phenomenal breakthroughs going on right now in the study of ancient manuscripts, so let's jump right in to the meat of it all. As you know, my current project is a dual-timeline; two plots, two protagonists, and something remarkable that ties them together. Back in…
Dear Readers, I haven't posted in a month or more, due to my travels. My current project has also kept me busy, and I am pleased to state that the writing of this book is nearing completion. Today's post should interest you if you are curious as to what I've been up to with this new novel. In late May, I traveled to Rome and Naples with fellow author Eileen Stephenson. There were several sites I…
Over the past decade there has been a renewed interest in mythology, whether it be Greek, Roman, Egyptian, or Norse. Madeline Miller's CIRCE took the literary world by surprise, becoming a NYT bestseller for months. Even now--in 2026--some critics declare it to be one of the finest fantasy novels of the decade. Whether you venture into some of the lengthy passages of the Egyptian Book of the Dead,…
My mantra has become: SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME! I have read nine so far this year, with a goal of at least twenty or more. One particular research book on papyrology has taken me about nine months to read. It has yielded an enormous amount of information for my current project, but it's very dry reading. Reading and comprehending is so important, and sadly, more and more children in our…
Since my retirement last year, I've had the marvelous opportunity to teach music part-time in a private school. It has been really refreshing and the students have been fabulous. I feel as though I have entered some sort of educational utopia! Ha! Today, I was teaching about Richard Wagner, and how his music was adopted by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party as part of German national propaganda. Our…
I remember very clearly my father telling me about Harry Houdini and his skepticism of life after death. Apparently, Houdini told his wife to attend seances after he died; that if there really was another life after death, he would come and communicate with her. With his fame as an illusionist and ability to outwit people with his many feats of magic and deception, Dad always said that if there…
Yesterday, I had the joy of speaking to the Persiflage author group in Salem, Virginia . It's always a joy to talk books and writing with other people who have a way with words, too. I spoke on "Writing a Historical Fiction Novel," and it was actually cathartic to put this presentation together, because I began to see how I tend to work and I'm rather satisfied with the way my current project is…
I was raised in an extended family of soldiers. My father served in WWII's Pacific Theater. Though the Veteran's Administration labeled him as a "combat soldier", he worked those years as an airplane mechanic most of the time. That being said, however, he was also given sentry duty at times, and recalled a bullet whizzing past his head and seeing a Japanese soldier bolting into the jungle. I've…
