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The Unspoken Promise to my Readers
I am currently writing my next series, a quadrilogy based on Norse mythology. If everything goes to plan, the first book will be...
susanmansbridge101
Oct 18, 20244 min read


On Grief
One of the themes many stories utilise is that of death, be it a well-deserved ending for an obnoxious villain, a tragic backstory for...
susanmansbridge101
Oct 11, 20244 min read


Blessing or Curse. A Look at Social Media.
Like most of us, I have a love/hate relationship with social media. As a published author, I am expected to have several accounts,...
susanmansbridge101
Aug 27, 20244 min read


Choosing Sides
Today, I want to take some time to reflect on the big news stories of the past couple of weeks. People are up in arms about Algerian...
susanmansbridge101
Aug 8, 20244 min read


Exploring Life issues through your Characters
A hundred people can read a book and give a hundred responses ranging from “That was awful, and I didn’t bother finishing” to “That was...
susanmansbridge101
Jun 19, 20244 min read


Be Creative
You have probably never heard of Bezalel and Oholiab, but I have been thinking a lot about them recently. They appear once in the Bible,...
susanmansbridge101
May 12, 20243 min read


You Have Permission to Not Finish
There was a time, not so long ago, when I would read to the end of a book regardless of whether I liked it or not. This is especially...
susanmansbridge101
May 2, 20243 min read


Why I Love Getting Older
When I turned thirty, I went on a crying jag. As far as I was concerned, the best of my years were behind me and there was nothing to...
susanmansbridge101
Apr 22, 20244 min read


On Cozy Fantasy
Hello! My name is Holly and I write under the pen name HL Bernabe. Sue so sweetly asked me to do a guest blog for her and I couldn’t say...
susanmansbridge101
Apr 15, 20243 min read


Paying it Forward
It’s easy to think this world is full of hateful people spewing vitriol or making plans to destroy, maim and kill. The news is full of...
susanmansbridge101
Mar 27, 20243 min read


The Blurred Line between Fantasy and Reality
One of the reasons I love the fantasy genre is because it takes you out of this world, with its wars, injustices, and strident opinions,...
susanmansbridge101
Feb 27, 20244 min read


How Reading can make you a Better Writer.
When I first started writing, I gave up reading fantasy stories for reasons I explain here. I didn’t feel confident as a writer to able...
susanmansbridge101
Jan 30, 20243 min read


Thanks for the Memories
One of my favourite TV programmes is “The Repair Shop”. I am always amazed and seriously impressed at the artisans who can take something...
susanmansbridge101
Jan 21, 20244 min read


Be a Friend
One of my best friends is my opposite in so many ways. She is young, athletic, and loves being outdoors. I’m a snuggly couch potato who...
susanmansbridge101
Jan 11, 20243 min read


When the creativity well runs dry
December was a bleak month for me creatively. I found myself unable to write a blog post, let alone work on my novel. I had no ideas, no...
susanmansbridge101
Jan 4, 20243 min read


The End of the Beginning
Writing a book is a painstaking process. From initial idea, to carefully and lovingly crafting each sentence, to the pain of editing,...
susanmansbridge101
Oct 23, 20233 min read


Procrastination Gold Medal
Today I achieved something truly amazing. I fully expected trumpets and confetti when I walked out of the Post Office this morning....
susanmansbridge101
Oct 18, 20235 min read


Here be dragons and hobbits.
A few days ago, I was asked what sort of books I write. As always, I ducked my head, became a bit flustered, and muttered ‘stuff about...
susanmansbridge101
Oct 12, 20234 min read


NaNoWriMo
You don’t have to be writing long before you hear about an annual event called NaNoWriMo. Short for National Novel Writing Month, the US...
susanmansbridge101
Sep 29, 20233 min read


How old is old?
I am coming up to another birthday and I have been contemplating ageing, and how my definition of “old” has changed as I have added to my...
susanmansbridge101
Sep 17, 20233 min read
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