Deborah Cooke: Author

Category: Writing Life

  • Companion Volumes

    One of the interesting things that fiction authors sometimes do is create a companion volume or a guide to their fictional world. I think these are really cool, but know that it is very difficult to get a traditional publisher interested in publishing one. I’ve just bought one, based on the mystery series by Donna…

  • Another Famous Book

    A while ago, we talked about bestsellers, and I mentioned that I seldom read them. That’s because I’m usually disappointed by these books that catch the world by storm, and that’s depressing. There was one happy exception this year, so I thought we’d talk about it today. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is more…

  • The Domino Effect

    One of the interesting things about living in an old house is that very few changes are simple. There’s always a cascading To Do list that results from trying to make a single modification. For example, in the spring, we finally found a light fixture for the foyer. Up until now, it’s had what Mr.…

  • Just Peachy

    This week, I’m canning peaches. (Actually, they’re not going into cans – they’re going into glass quart sealer jars.) My mom and I used to can peaches when I was a kid. Usually, it was in really hot weather. Invariably, everything in the kitchen was sticky by the time we were done. It was always…

  • If It’s August…

    …then there must be a bat. Just two hours into the month and we had company. I really could do without hearing that noise ever again – the sound of a bat fluttering against the drapes, trying to get back outside. Ugh. Fortunately, Mr. Math’s Amazing Bat Eviction Method (ABEM) works really well. He entices…