In today’s Amateur Hour, CC and I discuss the books that took us from childhood reading to adult fiction, and the impact they continue to have on us as adults. We chat about sump pumps, our works in progress, and “From Tundra to Tiara,” as well as our plans for the future. Have a listenContinue reading “Adult Books”
Category Archives: Nostalgia
Episode 100
Twenty-two months since we started in isolation, and here is our 100th episode of the CC and JT Amateur Hour (“where production values go to die”). This episode coincides with the debut of “From Tundra to Tiara,” so honestly, how could we not do this today? Not all is sunshine as real life taught usContinue reading “Episode 100”
Christmas Memories
Ah, “the horror of the holidays are upon us,” as my grandfather used to say. One common theme, no matter your culture or beliefs, are the strong emotions we feel during these days. CC and I remember two of our strongest Christmas memories, and we use them to illustrate how to transcribe those memories intoContinue reading “Christmas Memories”
Writing for the Holidays
Flickr image made available from Steve McFarland via Creative Commons. We chat about writing about the holidays, why Hollywood keep making holiday movies, and why people keep watching them. Themes include family, winter, and love. Minor spoilers of Love Hard, Die Hard, A Christmas Carol, and other holiday classics. And we don’t make the rules.Continue reading “Writing for the Holidays”
Alien
In space no one can hear you scream. Welcome to the Halloween 2022 Podcast, and we pick what we feel is the iconic horror film of the genre: Alien! We thoroughly spoil this 1979 classic that pushes back on all (well, most) of the clichés, and we explain why we feel this is mandatory viewingContinue reading “Alien”
Settings Part Two
We got around to rerecording Settings Part 2, the one where we define how a setting can overwhelm the characters in your book. We’re talking about an event that obliterates the routines and comfort zones of your characters. We give thoughts on this genre, starting with highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of your characters asContinue reading “Settings Part Two”
Gratitude
Our followers know I retired on Friday, September 30, after 40 total years of public service. My last day was filled with heartfelt wishes from long-time associates and poignant memories of a building where I learned so much. The icing on the cake was the goodbye dinner with my team and their partners where weContinue reading “Gratitude”
Road Not Taken
This week we chat about Robert Frost’s “Road Not Taken” (apologies to Mr. Frost for mangling the quote in the podcast). With CC and I being of a certain age, we have a better perspective of our interests and skills. What careers would we have picked had we the chance to do things over again?Continue reading “Road Not Taken”
Interesting Times
“May you live in interesting times.” JT’s awesome aunt says this is an ancient Chinese curse. The world has been living through them here in the 21st Century, but what does that mean for the writer who engages in historical fiction? We discuss the challenges facing authors who use real-life events in their books, includingContinue reading “Interesting Times”
HEA and HFN
We chat about our current WIP and whether we should do a “Happily Ever After” versus “Happy For Now” kind of ending. Readers want both, often at the same time, which can lead to “interesting” sequels. Spoilers: Star Wars, The Godfather, The Matrix, and The Mummy (Brenden Frasier version, obv). We also announce a bigContinue reading “HEA and HFN”