Back to Spain: Montecorto, Andalucia
I was about to take my first flights in 19 months and I was scared. Not because of a fear of flying (never had that). Nor because of airport crowds and Covid: I’ve had three vaccines (the first two weren’t…
Tema Frank
Historical Fiction & Business Author, World Traveler & Speaker
Tema Frank
Historical Fiction & Business Author, World Traveler & Speaker
Book Review: The Ambassador’s Wife
The Ambassador’s Wife by Jennifer Steil My rating: 4 of 5 stars I was gripped by this book, and the moral and ethical dilemmas it raises in an engrossing, fictional way. The protagonist is such a real, flawed but loveable…
Book Review: Yellow Wife
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Sadeqa Johnson wrote the book after touring a former slave jail and trading post. On one of the walls she saw a photo of the jailer, his black wife…
A Historical Novelist’s Work is Never Done
When writing a historical novel you can get buried in research and never write the book. Sometimes, though, the research discoveries make you so happy!
Book Review: All My Puny Sorrows
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have a lousy memory, so not many books stick with me for years, other than a general “I liked it” feeling. But this one has. It…
Anniversary of the Flight From Spain
Today marks the 1st anniversary of our flight from Spain. It has been the first year in 40 that I have not flown anywhere. Last night I got my first vaccine shot. A year ago last night DH and I…
Book Review: The Boat People
The Boat People by Sharon Bala My rating: 5 of 5 stars A powerful look at the difficult decisions faced by people in war zones and by refugee boards. Nothing is simple. Is it better to risk admitting someone who…
Book Review: The Breakout Novel Workbook
Tema's review of Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. Worth reading if you want to write fiction.
What Have You Missed Most During the Covid-19 Pandemic?
I have taken several online writing courses since house-arrest began, and in one (a session put on by Connie Messing, one of the Writers in Residence for Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries), we were asked to write (with no thinking…
Flight Cancellations & More: The Roller Coaster Ride of Fleeing Coronavirus
Panic didn’t really set in for us until borders started closing and flights being cancelled. In my previous blog post (Love in the Time of Coronavirus), I wrote that after it was clear our March 30 KLM flights from Malaga…
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
It seems like years since we were in Cape Verde, given all that has happened since we returned to Malaga just over two weeks ago. I still have other posts about Cape Verde that I will put up eventually, but…
10 Days in Santo Antão is Barely Enough
I fell in love with the island of Santo Antao, Cape Verde. The hiking, the people, the music ... all outstanding!