Writer for Young Adults
I don't get out to the movies much anymore, mostly due to a combination of parenting fatigue/childcare costs/fear that the movie won't be worth the effort. But when my cousin Dan Whitener announced that his original song "We Are Gonna Be Okay," co-written with his wife Eileen Kern, was featured in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, I knew… Continue reading BlacKkKlansman: This is Why Historical Fiction Matters
I'm excited to share that I have another guest post up on the lovely period-drama website Willow and Thatch. "Movie vs. Book: Crooked House" is the first in an ongoing series exploring recent adaptations of Agatha Christie's novels. Crooked House, adapted in 2017, explores the dark family secrets unearthed when detective Charles Hayward begins investigating… Continue reading Guest Post: Crooked House
On Wednesday, International Women's Day, my 6th grade history class watched Mulan to celebrate the end of our unit on ancient China. They made silly comments about the villain's appearance, laughed at Mushu, and danced along to "I'll Make a Man out of You" (which is now stuck in my head for the third day in a… Continue reading I’ll Make a Man out of You
Lately I've been indulging in an orgy of Sherlock. Not just the BBC show (although we recently finished the third episode of the latest season, and MAN was that dark), but books and radio dramas, too. Modern adaptations, stories that play the Game - I'm soaking it all up. Maybe it's due to the current political… Continue reading It’s Elementary
Or: The Dark Side. Or: The Crusades as Fought by Hunksome Orlando Bloom. Last week I wrote about my admiration for the Masterpiece drama Indian Summers and the way the writers create ambiguous characters while staying fairly true to history. As we were finishing up the show's season finale, I happened to be watching a very… Continue reading When You’re On the Wrong Side of History (Part 2)
How do you get an audience to root for someone who's on the wrong side of history? When you're writing a book or screenplay, it can be a tricky business. You have to make the character seem sympathetic, while still staying true to the history. You can't shrink from portraying the brutal realities of his or… Continue reading When You’re on the Wrong Side of History (Part 1)
With Thanksgiving little more than a week away, I've had cooking on the brain. No wonder--it's the only national holiday entirely devoted to food (plus, well, giving thanks). Is there anything more wonderful? I decided to honor the holiday by investigating its historic roots.(And, as you know, I can't leave well enough alone.)The results were… Continue reading The "First" Thanksgiving (I)
