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Once upon a translation… make that three… c’est si bon!

March 11, 2026 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, translation, Writing tagged as #Boldwood Books, books, Paris, Translation, writing

The Resistance Girl in Dutch

The Lost Girl in Paris in Spanish

Words… words… words.

They drive us authors crazy, the right words, the passionate words… the words that make your characters do stupid things and wonderful things, too.

Even more surprising to an author is when your words are translated into thousands of words in another language. Will the reader ‘get’ what you’re trying to say? Will they feel the love, the pain?

You bet they will.

The art of being a translator is one I can attest to personally when I was a tour guide at Universal Studios. I gave the tour in German and also learned it in French as a backup for our French guides.

My Universal Studios ‘stuff’ — name tag, parking sticker, studio ID (love the hair!), photo of me in Paris, and my Universal Studios Tour Guide Manual in English — I had to translate it into German.

I had to do the translation myself, which had its moments on the tram when I was trying to explain Bruce the shark in ‘Jaws’, or the early days with Boris Karloff as ‘The Monster’ wearing a paper bag over his head when he went to lunch between takes so no one would see his makeup job. I’d stumble and fall over words, but as one visitor from Munich told me, ‘You have such heart for what you do. Even if you don’t know the right word, we understand.’

I never forgot that.

I also acted as a ‘translator’ for my sensei, teacher, in class when American tourists came into the kimono shop after hours when we having a kimono and dance class on the small stage. However, here I was translating from Japanese to English.

So you can imagine I have the deepest respect for these fabulous professionals who put their hearts and souls into translating my books into other languages. It’s not unusual for a translator to contact me by email, asking me for clarification on something because they want to get it ‘right’. Merci, Bedankt, and Gracias.

For the first part of this year, I’m thrilled to have 3 of my Boldwood Books coming out in Spanish, Dutch, and French. La chica perdida en Paris (The Lost Girl in Paris) came out in the worldwide Spanish market in February; Her meisje in het verzet (The Resistance Girl) came out in Dutch on March 8. Les enfants volés de la guerre (The Stolen Children of War) comes out in French on April 1st. (no cover yet! I’ll update when we do.)

So for now, mes amis, I shall say, Au revoir — until we meet again and we shall. For words are like stars in the sky. I never tire of them.

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I will write 500 words…

March 10, 2026 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Writing tagged as Motivation, writing

And I will write 500 more…

I’ve been struggling with my identity, on so many levels in recent years. My kids have all moved out of the house, I’ve changed my address, lost nearly half of my body weight and completely changed who I see in the mirror, in fact, where did the white hair and wrinkles come from… and there are days when I wonder am I still a writer?

Obviously, I’ll always be a mom, but for so many years, my life was entirely wrapped around my boys, and being a mom. Many of you will understand the sense of loss and even floundering when your kids all move out, and you realize they’re probably not coming back. And that’s as it should be, they’re adults. Sitting at the dinner table, Hunky Hubby and me, having a peaceful dinner, no interruptions, no loud conversation, arguing with brothers, fighting over who gets the last serving of whatever is on the table…or fighting because someone took the last serving while no one was looking. No food being thrown…not that my little angels every would have done that. I’ll never be a mom in the same way.

I prepared for this, or I tried to prepare anyway. I’d written for magazines and newspapers since my oldest was 9 months old. While I didn’t call myself a writer ̶ writers are people like Nora Roberts, Phillipa Gregory, Megan Hart ̶ I wrote, was published, and paid. So, when people asked what I did, I said I was a stay-at-home mom. If they pushed, I might say “I write”, without making it part of my identity. When my boys reached their teen years, I realized how hard it was going to be to let go of that part of being a full-time mom. I needed to prepare.

I’d always wanted to write fiction. I wrote short stories. I wrote children’s story. I even wrote a complete novel by hand. So, I wrote fiction, for myself. But I wasn’t a writer.

I joined our local RWA Chapter, and my motivation grew. I wrote at every opportunity, and one by one, my boys moved out. Before they had all moved out, my first novella was published in an anthology. It was hard, but when people asked what I did, I stopped saying stay-at-home mom, or housewife, and started saying “I’m a writer”. And I wrote and published several more books as a hybrid author.

Then I got a second chance, not as Mom, but as Grandma. Grandma, the best title ever. For two years, I was totally wrapped up in Milo as I got to spend time with him full time while my son and daughter-in-law worked. A gift I never expected.

But life is constantly changing, and Milo went off to preschool where his mother is a teacher, Hunky Hubby retired, and we moved from the outskirts of Los Angeles, to rural Arizona. The rural part is a dream I’ve always had. I grew up in rural Ohio, and loved living in the small peaceful farm town where my father had also grown up.

I worried that Hunky Hubby would have a hard time with retirement. He’d worked hard his whole life. He immediately started talking about getting a job. But then something happened. He shifted his focus. We bought the house next door, and he made it his new job. He gets up every morning at 5am, and goes to work remodeling the house. He found a purpose, and he’s thriving.

I find myself getting up, glancing at the computer, and heading to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher. It’s not writer’s block. Characters are talking to me, I have more stories to write than hours in the day, but I walk away.

And I find myself wondering, usually quietly, today publicly. Am I still a writer? Who am I today? Who do I want to be? I still want to write, but am I relevant? Do my words matter in a world I no longer recognize? WHO AM I?

Okay, my rant is finished. Have you ever had a total identity crisis? A collapse of your belief in yourself and the world? Tell me your story.

And in the meantime. I’m going to write 500 words, then 500 more, and maybe I can get back to who I was, or at least find out who I am.

Tari’s Books

#HAUNTEDHERMOSA

#12DANCINGSANTAS

#FIREWORKS IN THE FOG

#SILVER BRACELETS

#PLEASE SAY YES (#HermosafortheHolidays Book 1)

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Joining the HHH Blog as a Contributor

February 12, 2026 by Denise M. Colby in category Columns, The Writing Journey by Denise Colby, Writing tagged as Denise M. Colby, writers life, writing

I’m excited to share that starting this month, I’ll be a regular contributor to the HHHistory blog. The HHH blog is the Heroes, Heroines, & History blog. It’s mission? Uniting those who love to write about history with those who love to read it.

Blog Title Banner with the HHH Blog banner and the words Joining the HHH Blog as a Contributor by Denise M. Colby

I’ve been following this blog for a while now. There’s such a wide range of history being shared. The rules are simple. Do not duplicate any topic that has already been written.

Although there have been some posts about California, I was happy to see that there wasn’t specific topics related to the flooding, the rebuilding over the existing city of Sacramento, and several other points of history that I’ve researched for my stories. So as an HHH blog contributor, I get to write about all those things.

My first hhh blog post is February 14th

My first blog is titled Sacramento, California Origins and How They Dealt with Floods. Much of my content I had found when I wrote When Plans Go Awry, but I also found new content, including an image on the Sacramento History Museum’s Instagram page, showing how much devastation occurred because of them.

I have gathered a lot of research and fascinating tidbits over the years, but I couldn’t put it all in my stories. Now I have a place to share the details. My posting date each month is the fourteenth, and my first post goes live on February 14. (I can’t share a link until it is live).

I would love to have you join me.

Or sign up for my newsletter to receive the link to the post each month.

Denise M. Colby loves to share about her writing journey (see all her posts here), including her word of the year (this year it is BALANCE), her novels, and all the things in between. You can visit her at her website and blog at www.denisemcolby.com or on her facebook or instagram. Please note: some links include Amazon Associate links where Denise can earn from qualifying purchases.

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Rain, rain, and more rain…

February 11, 2026 by Jina Bacarr in category Jina’s Book Chat, Writing tagged as book, Deadline, rain

We writers live in a different world when we’re on deadline… nothing gets dusted, wash piles up, dishes done only when we run out of coffee cups.

I’m struggling (as always) with this book, trying to fit all the pieces together; my research books look like I’m building the pyramids, and my characters are yelling at me to hurry up.

Still, that’s no excuse for being late here, but I am. Late. But not I’m giving up, so here’s a short video about the lovely rain we’re having.

And a poem to go with it.

@jinabacarrauthor
waiting for rain on Umbrella Day here in Southern California… and writing, too! #umbrelladay #booktokauth#authorlife @theboldbookclub
♬ original sound – Jina Bacarr Historical Author♥ – Jina Bacarr Historical Author♥

I’ll be back next month… and thank you for listening!

Jina

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Love Wins Anthology

February 5, 2026 by Tracy Reed in category Writing

I am so excited about an upcoming anthology to support pancreatic cancer and in memory of Twyla Turner.

LOVE WINS: STORIES OF HEAT, HEART, AND HOPE, a limited-edition charity anthology, celebrates the power of love in all its forms. Couples navigate between the pull of the past and the promise of the future with courage and passion. From curvy girls to tough guys, from tender new adults to seasoned older adults, these multicultural and interracial lovers invite us to savor the joy of living, loving, and believing. Dive into Love Wins, an anthology of diverse romances, featuring uplifting tales of hope, celebration, and second chances, curated in memory of our fellow writer and romance lover, Twyla Turner.

✨💜✨Participating Authors ✨💜✨
K. T. Bond
Harper Black
A.J. Buchanan
Gabbi Grey
Olivia Huxley
Gabbi Powell
Tracy Reed
Alexa Santi
A.M. Roark