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News, Articles, and Upcoming Books and Events from Cynthia Hamilton

  • The Relationship Between Readers and Writers

    As joyous as both the reading and writing experiences can be, they are individual and solitary pursuits. When I delve into a novel as a reader, I do so as a lone investigator, following the clues the writer has left for me to discover. I seldom think about what went through the author’s mind as…

  • Print Vs. The Big Screen: How Books Translate Into Films

    I think we’ve all been there, excited to find that our cherished reading experiences are about to be turned into motion pictures. Over the years, I’ve learned to temper my enthusiasm, thanks to less than faithful reproductions. There are many factors that contribute to the disappointment by fans of the written version. The time constraints…

  • Ebook Vs. Print: Techie or Traditionalist?

    I remember reading about a Hollywood studio executive who praised her Kindle for making life easier, allowing her quicker access to reading materials as she searched for future projects. This was probably two years before I received my own Kindle, thanks to my husband, who figured it would hurt less when it fell on my…

  • Summertime Blues: There is a Cure!

    Here I sit, or lay, or I guess it’s a combination of the two, with my computer tilted at a funny angle, trying to be a good patient while healing from foot surgery. The fact that I’m able to use my computer at all right now is a definite plus, though I don’t know how…

  • It’s a Mystery: Surprise! Surprise?

    One of the obvious joys of reading mysteries is trying to solve the crime before the author finishes the tale. It’s a compulsion, one that leads us into an almost schizophrenic dilemma. On one hand, if we can’t figure out who done it, we are disappointed in ourselves for not being as clever as the…

  • Good Versus Evil

    Seldom do we find a truly rotten individual as the main character of a story. They are generally mostly good, with enough foibles to make them believable—in modern fiction, anyway. Dickens and Jane Eyre and their contemporaries created characters whose souls were as pure as rainwater, which provided a stark contrast to all the nefarious…

  • Reading and Writing: It’s Summertime – What’s On Your Reading

    Though the calendar says the official start of summer is still a week away, schools are out and those who relish this season are happy to extend it. With summer comes the perfect excuse for relaxing with a good book. I know I’m in good company here on Goodreads when I say I want to…

  • Reading and Writing: Home-Grown Inspiration

    One thing I’m really enjoying about the Madeline Dawkins series is that it takes place in my own backyard. When casting about for a city with the demographics I needed for the backdrop for “Spouse Trap,” it hit me that Santa Barbara was the ideal setting. It worked perfectly and I liked the fact that…

  • Reading and Writing: What’s in a Name? You Decide!

    After eight books and thirteen years of writing, the only writer’s block I’ve ever encountered had to do with naming my characters. In any given book, there has been an average of 45 characters. Many of them play fairly insignificant roles, and sometimes I’m able to get away with using a title or a position,…