Welcome to the new home of Between the Lines!

Have you ever wondered why you liked a book so much that you couldn’t stop reading? As a given, it will be well-written, filled with dynamic characters and include a clever twisty plot. But how do you explain that “extra something” that keeps you turning the pages? That sense of rhythm and flow exciting your senses despite your being on the other side of a digital device or turning fine vellum page, how do you account for it?

That “special something” is the magic happening between the lines. It is a sparkle you don’t see, but feel. It is the writer’s instinct, talent and experience that is separate from the story and makes the story feel alive. That special something is the spell the writer weaves with practice, education and passion. It is the unseen force between the lines that keeps us coming back for more. But it is so subtle that once you’ve experienced the magic, you don’t really notice it until it is missing!

That’s what I will offer here, a chance to discover the secrets between the lines.

I write fiction (urban fantasy/paranormal/gothic) and poetry. However, it didn’t just “happen.” I studied and practiced, enduring repeated rejections. I studied s’more, and finally what I studied began to make sense and showed in my work. Making magic takes time. It is like learning a spell and then learning to make it work. One does not automatically translate to the other and you must have both the study and the practice in order to produce a viable result. So it is with writing. 

Here in Between the Lines I invite you in to my thoughts on writing well, insights into my own struggles and successes, and thoughts by others on their writing and publishing journeys. I plan to post book reviews and samples of work, plus the occasional rant for things that excite me (both good and bad). I’m on the search for writer’s magic and my goal is to share it with you wherever – from whomever – I find it. Along the way, I hope I can help you find the same joy in writing that I have found.

From here out, Between the Lines is all about readers and writers, sharing and learning, growth and discovery. 

One mention about the previous blog. My blogging was sporadic at best and random at worst. Those attitudes and behaviors are behind me. I’m far from perfect but with a vision moving forward, I think you’ll find the reading much more regular. I promised you change. And this is it, my friends.

What lies between the lines? Writer’s magic. Let’s find it, study it, read it, and write it together!

Are you ready for NaNoWriMo?

Don’t forget to leave me your thoughts.

I remain, 
Yours Between the Lines,

Sherry

---

****The following items will always appear to keep you posted on activities.*****

WIP (Works in Progress): 
– first novel in the Evening Bower series, about vampires and other supernatural creatures
– fictional memoir
– four-part fairy story

On the Desk: (next reading): Barely Bewitched by Kimberly Frost

Off the Desk (book just finished): Would Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

Coming Soon:  Guest Author: Margie Miklas!