Author Archives: Kay DiBianca

About Kay DiBianca

Kay DiBianca is a former software developer and IT manager who retired to a life of mystery. She’s the award-winning author of three mystery series: The Watch Series, the Lady Pilot-in-Command Series, and the Reen & Joanie Detective Agency Middle Grade Series. She's decided three series may be enough to keep her busy for a while. Connect with Kay on her website at https://kaydibianca.com.

Your Favorite Short Story

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“Brevity is the soul of wit.”  —William Shakespeare

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We’re all familiar with Shakespeare’s take on the subject of brevity. But in the 21st century, brevity may be the soul of more than wit as attention spans contract and readers look for instant gratification in their reading material.

An article on wordsrated.com states what we all suspected:

The digital age brought a huge increase of various types of content fighting for people’s time and attention. People have more options than ever on how to spend their time. This variety of things to do alone is one of the reasons why reading time is in decline over the years.

With these factors in mind, our hypothesis was that readers are choosing to buy shorter books as the years go by. Results of our analysis suggest that this is the case, as best-selling books got 11.8% shorter over the last decade.

So, if readers are looking for shorter fiction, why not try writing short stories? There’s a post on Jane Friedman’s site entitled 20 Reasons Why Everybody Should Write Short Stories by Elizabeth Sims that addresses that very question.

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If a novel is a marathon and a novella is a half-marathon, I’d define a short story as a 400-meter race. Even though it’s only once around the track, the runner can’t run at full speed because he/she will slow down dramatically in the home stretch. The race requires a strategy and a punchy ending just like a short story.

And just how short is a short story? It can be anywhere from 1K to 10K words, depending on who you ask. Some say they can even be longer. But whatever the length, the story has to impact the reader in a forceful way.

TKZ’s own James Scott Bell wrote a book entitled How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career. In his book, Jim identifies the one thing a short story must do: “The most important part is emotional impact.”

To that end, here are a few of my favorite short stories that pack an emotional punch:

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry – This story is probably on most people’s lists of favorites. With a theme of selfless sacrifice that defines true love, the story ends with both a surprising and satisfying twist for the reader.

The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth – This Christmas story keeps the reader engaged by following the lonely flight of a fighter pilot as modern technology fails and he finds help in a very untechnical form. The surprise ending delivers an emotional jolt the reader won’t forget.

The Apple Tree by John Galsworthy – This is perhaps my favorite, although it comes in at around 17K words which is approaching novella territory. Still, it tells the poignant tale of young love and, sadly, betrayal.

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Here are some short stories I’ve written:

Lady Pilot-in-Command, the Short Story – A young pilot decides on the airway less taken and does the right thing, even though it’s dangerous.

The Clutter Busters – A woman begins to clean her attic, but with the help of some uninvited guests, finds the real clutter is in her own mind.

The Money Tree – A prideful woman learns humility and finds a new purpose in life when the easy money disappears.

Willow Tree Farm – This story is based on the Biblical proverb “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” —Proverbs 25:21-22

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So TKZers: What are your favorite short stories? Have you written any? Tell us about them.

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 Cassie Deakin is a talented and experienced private pilot who loves being in the air. But when she agrees to fly a handsome stranger to a meeting in the Nevada desert, she lands in the middle of a drug bust gone wrong, and she’s the only one who can save the day.

Should she fly away from danger? Or listen to the memory of her father’s words to “Never stand idly by when you see another pilot in trouble.”

Click the image to go to the Amazon page and grab a copy of this 99¢ short story.

Should Authors Take a Hiatus From Writing?

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“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes—including you.” —Anne Lamott

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Many thanks once again to James Scott Bell and Dale Ivan Smith for covering for me these last months.

* * *

While I was writing this post about taking a break from writing, I got very interested in the word hiatus. I like the way it sounds. Hi-a-tus. The two adjacent vowels are pronounced separately, and that’s relatively rare in English.

So before I get to the main subject here, I’m going to plunge down a rabbit hole to learn more about this unusual word. Join me!

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Most double vowels in English are either dipthongs (e.g., coin or house) where the sound glides from one vowel to the next one to make a single sound, or they are digraphs (e.g. bread or boat) where the two vowels make one sound.

But then there are words like hiatus or chaos where the two adjacent vowels are sounded separately. And what is the proper term for this English oddity? Ready for this? They’re called hiatus vowels. How good is that?

* * *

So what’s the origin of this interesting word? According to Merriam-Webster.com, the word hiatus comes from the Latin hiare which means “to yawn,” and the word yawn means gap. I always associated hiatus with a voluntary break in routine, like an athlete taking a season off to rest tired muscles before jumping back into the fray. While it certainly can mean that, the word has a lot of other connotations.

For example, the esophageal hiatus is a passage of the esophagus through the diaphragm into the stomach. A bulge in that area is called a hiatal hernia. And there are other hiatuses in the body. There’s the aortic hiatus and the hiatus semilunaris. You’re on your own to look those up.

But that’s not all. We find hiatuses in other interesting contexts:

The British novelist Laurence Sterne used the word in Tristram Shandy to describe a clothing tear, calling it “the hiatus in Phutatorius’s breeches.”

In The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus used the term to reflect on the human condition when he noted “the regular hiatus between what we fancy we know and what we really know.”

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All of this information about the word hiatus is very interesting, but it’s time to climb out of the rabbit hole and return to the real point of this blog post: Should authors take a hiatus away from writing occasionally?

I found several sites (masterclass.com, Helping Writers Become Authors, and The Write Practice) with good information on why you may want to take a break from writing and the benefits and risks of doing so. I’ve summarized some of their points here.

Why Take a Break?

  • You feel exhausted, drained of creative energy
  • You don’t know what to write
  • You need to prioritize other commitments

Whatever the reason you decide to take a break, consider some of the benefits and risks.

Benefits

  • Short writing breaks provide needed rest. Sticking to a regular routine is important to a writer, but day in and day out sameness can become stale and boring. A short break can refresh the old gray cells.
  • Writing breaks can prevent writer’s block. I’ve always associated writer’s block with fear. The kind of fear that makes you wonder if you can come up with another good story, and that can have a paralyzing effect on writing. Taking time to get away for a few days can stimulate new ideas and get the juices flowing again.
  • Writing breaks refresh the mind. We all need to recharge our creative batteries by challenging ourselves to look at things from a new perspective now and then. Taking a break gives the writer a chance to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Of course, there are risks associated with taking time off. Consider these:

Risks

  • Loss of Habit: Once you break a daily writing routine, it may be hard to get back to it. The longer the hiatus, the more difficult it may be to return.
  • Fading Momentum: Taking a break in the middle of a WIP could cause the project to stall or be left unfinished.
  • Decline in Audience: Lack of deliverables can reduce the author’s readership. Once you’ve dropped off the radar, readers may turn to other writers.

Strategies to avoid the risk

  • Fill your time with inspiration. Many writers get creative inspiration from art, music, films, and podcasts. Consider spending your free time exploring other media or going out into the world and trying something new. Use the time to outline next steps on your writing journey.
  • Focus your energy on a different project. When working on a writing project, like a novel or short story, it can be helpful to write something else periodically. If you feel like you’re hitting a wall, try journaling to record your thoughts. This can help get the creative juices flowing again.
  • Follow a schedule. Writing every day on a schedule can keep you on task and build a habit. The same goes for taking a break. Eating, exercising, and taking time for self-care will help your mental and physical well-being and your writing practice.
  • Take a break once you reach a milestone. Take a break between writing your first draft and rewriting, or between writing and editing. Give yourself at least a few days, so you can read your work with fresh eyes. It can also help to take breaks when you’ve hit a target word count or finished a chapter so that you can acknowledge your accomplishments.

The Involuntary Hiatus

Of course, taking a hiatus from writing is not always optional. Sometimes life intervenes. You have a new job or a new baby, you move to another city or have a medical issue. Any of these can force an unwanted hiatus from writing. So what do you do then?

  • You may not have time to write, but you can still think about writing and jot down ideas for stories.
  • Work on one chapter of your WIP to fine tune it. Just slow down, but don’t stop.
  • Read if you have time. Talk to others. Expand your horizons. All of it will make a better writer in the long run.
  • Take care of yourself. Exercise has been shown to stimulate creativity.

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So TKZers: What’’s your opinion on taking a hiatus from writing? Have you tried taking a break? How hard was it to restart the engine?

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Cassie Deakin takes a break from her contract piloting career to help solve a mystery. But there’s no hiatus from danger when a murderer is on the loose.

Click the image to go to the Amazon book detail page.

You Meet Characters in the Most Interesting Places

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Before I begin today’s post, I’d like to thank my colleagues at TKZ for their good wishes, and especially James Scott Bell and Dale Ivan Smith, for covering for me during my absence.

TKZ is the greatest. It’s nice to back.

Now on to some interesting fictional characters…

“Characters are not created by writers. They pre-exist and have to be found.” — Elizabeth Bowen

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I’ve been spending a lot of my time lately in a few unfamiliar settings – at least they’re new territory to me – hospitals, rehab orgs, and skilled nursing facilities – as we deal with my husband’s recent medical problems.

Now you might think such places would be depressing. After all, they’re  home to the wrinkled and veiny aged population with their wheelchairs and walkers, prescription drugs and hospital beds. However…

I found these places not to be depressing at all, but fascinating. Most of the folks I’ve met aren’t persistent bellyachers despite their disabilities. Instead, they are people who have lived full lives and are up to facing adversity in their last years.

Take Jeb (not his real name). We met the 92-year-old at dinner one night in a skilled nursing home. Jeb is down to earth and fun to talk to, although he needs his hearing aids to stay in the conversation.

When Jeb noticed my husband was wearing a navy hat, our talk turned toward the military and veterans. We discovered Jeb had retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Army after thirty years of service and had served three tours of duty in Vietnam as a green beret.

Jeb is a relatively small man, not the muscle-bound giant I would have expected of a green beret, but he was a well-respected leader. He’s even the subject of a chapter in the book The Wars of the Green Berets by Robin Moore.

But in addition to his stories about the war, it was Jeb’s demeanor that captivated me. Although he lived through some horrific events, he is genial and warm, and his conversation is peppered with exclamations like “Oh heavens, yes!” and “Now, whaddya know!”

I realized after we’d spent a few hours with Jeb that he was the perfect model for Jake, a character in my WIP. I had been developing the character of Jake, a Korean War veteran who had lost his hearing in the war, and I had a good sense of who Jake was, but I couldn’t quite picture the physical character in my mind. Then I met Jeb and realized he was the model I had been looking for.

Jeb wasn’t the only character I met. Madeline (also not her real name) was another one whose determination to get out of the nursing home was funny and inspiring. As a matter of fact, it was during a conversation with Madeline that I suggested we form a team of residents to create a short story – a murder mystery set in a nursing facility. We’re getting suggestions for plot elements and characters from all sides to our tentatively named story, “The MerriLax Conspiracy” where the murder victim is, of course, one of the nurses. Madeline will play a leading role.

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So TKZers: Where do you find characters for your stories? Are they based on people you know or always products of your imagination? Care to let the rest of us in on some of your experiences?

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“DiBianca’s plot is tightly woven, but her cast of quirky and lovable characters steal the spotlight” —BookLife Reviews, Editor’s Pick

Click the image to go to the Amazon book page.

The History of Books

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“My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” —Abraham Lincoln

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Thursday, April 23, 2026 is World Book Day. According to Wikipedia,

World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. The first World Book Day was celebrated on 23 April in 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day.

Clearly, all authors should be celebrating World Book Day, but I have to admit I never heard of this special day until my husband and I were invited to give a presentation on the subject. As a result of that invitation, I did a little research and found it to be such a fascinating story, I figured TKZ folks would be interested.

Much of the information below outlining the major milestones in the history of books came from tckpublishing.com.

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Mesopotamia, 3500 BC – Clay Tablets

The Mesopotamians used wet clay and wrote on it with a reed stylus. The tablets were then dried or baked to preserve the writing. Much of the content recorded inventories, sales information, contracts and legal agreements.

Egypt, 3000 BC – Papyrus

The Egyptians used marrow from the papyrus reed to produce sheets which were glued together to create scrolls. Some of the scrolls were very long—one measured more than 40 meters!

 

Greece, 500 BC – Goat skins

A shortage of papyrus gave the Greeks incentive to go in another direction, and they used sheep and goat skins to make parchment. It was a good solution, but not as good as leather.

 

China, 100 BC – Paper!

The Chinese are credited with inventing paper made from rolls of bamboo that were bound together.

 

Rome, 100 BC – Codex

Romans made a giant leap forward with the invention of the codex, a way to bind pages together to form what we would recognize as a book.

 

It took 3500 years to get to books in the format we’re used to seeing, but printing books in mass was still to come.

Movable type – 1000 – 1400

The Koreans invented the first metal movable type in 1200 AD and produced the first book with that type in 1377AD.

 

 

Gutenberg’s printing press – 1439 

Gutenberg’s brilliant invention provided for the mass production of books. The first mass-produced book was the Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1455.

 

Pocketbooks – 1500

Aldus Manutius is credited with inventing this precursor to the modern paperback.

 

Printing comes to America – 1640

The Puritans brought over a printing press and printed The Bay Psalm, the first book printed in the new world. It contains the Book of Psalms from the Bible. A few copies of the original printing are still in existence.

 

Project Gutenberg – 1970s

Michael S. Hart founded Project Gutenberg in 1971 as a way to digitize and preserve important books. As of March 2026, this volunteer effort has made over 75,000 free works available to the public.

 

Amazon Kindle – 2007

Amazon’s Kindle was introduced in 2007 to light a fire in the reading public. Over 80,000 titles were available for purchase on the first release. There are currently over 44 million book titles on Amazon.

 

According to medium.com, around 2.2 million books are published each year, and there are around 155 million books (unique titles) in the world today!

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So TKZers: What are your thoughts on the history of books? What’s your favorite book? How many books have you published? Do you write in one genre or several?

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THE WATCH MYSTERIES

Half-sisters Kathryn and Cece never meant to become sleuths, but trouble has a way of finding them. With Kathryn’s problem-solving skills and Cece’s theatrical talent, these reluctant detectives prove the search for truth is worth the effort.

Three complete novels on sale this week for 99¢ on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, and Google Play.

The Power of Introverts

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“Without great solitude, no serious work is possible.” — Pablo Picasso

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The psychologist Carl Jung first used the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” in the early 20th century to define personality types.

In general, introverts enjoy solitude but are uncomfortable in large social gatherings. They are self-aware and tend to be deep thinkers who like to have a few strong relationships rather than a lot of acquaintances.

Extroverts, on the other hand, prefer large groups and enjoy living in the spotlight. They are more outgoing and usually have a lot of friends.

In reality, being an introvert or extrovert isn’t an either/or definition. It’s more of a continuum, and we can imagine a line graph showing introvert at one end and extrovert at the other. The great majority of people probably fall somewhere in the middle area as ambiverts.

An article on WebMD notes some of the differences in brain function between introverts and extroverts:

Researchers have found that introverts have a higher blood flow to their frontal lobe than extroverts do. This part of the brain helps you remember things, solve problems, and plan ahead.

Introvert brains also react differently to dopamine than extrovert brains do. That’s a chemical that turns on the reward- and pleasure-seeking part of your brain. Introverts and extroverts have the same amount of the chemical, but extrovert brains get an excited buzz from their reward center. Introverts, on the other hand, tend to just feel run-down by it.

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“The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” — Albert Einstein

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In her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain’s premise is that we live in a culture that rewards extroversion, but we need to take advantage of the significant gifts that introverts have to offer. Cain gives concrete evidence of the superpower of introverts:

“Some of our greatest ideas, art, and inventions—from the theory of evolution to van Gogh’s sunflowers to the personal computer—came from quiet and cerebral people who knew how to tune in to their inner worlds and the treasures to be found there.”

She then goes on to provide a very impressive list including Sir Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, W.B Yeats, Frederic Chopin, Marcel Proust, George Orwell, Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Charles Schulz, Steven Spielberg, and J.K. Rowling.

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“Writing is something you do alone. It’s a profession for introverts who want to tell you a story but don’t want to make eye contact while doing it.” — John Green

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Many of the authors I know consider themselves to be introverts, and given the solitude and cerebral tendency of introverts, you’d expect most authors to be at the introvert end of the scale. You might be right. Here’s a list of a few:

  • Emily Dickinson
  • J.D. Salinger
  • Harper Lee
  • Edgar Allan Poe
  • John Green
  • Agatha Christie
  • George R.R. Martin
  • Charlotte Brontë
  • C.S. Lewis

The introvertdear.com site even lists several reasons “Why Introverts Make the Best Writers”:

  • Good writing is good thinking. And who thinks more than introverts?
  • We’re comfortable with solitude (which is a necessity to write).
  • We’re keen observers of people, places, and details, which makes our writing rich.

However, not all great authors are introverts. Consider these extroverts:

  • Truman Capote
  • Maya Angelou
  • Malcolm Gladwell
  • Nora Ephron
  • Mark Twain

One famous writer who was thought to be a combination extrovert/introvert personality was Ernest Hemingway

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Want to know where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale? Take this quick 20-question quiz on Susan Cain’s website. Here’s where I ended up:

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So TKZers: Do you think introverts have an advantage when it comes to writing? Where do you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale?

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Extrovert Reen & her introvert cousin, Joanie, are the best kid detective team ever, solving problems and making the world a better place.

Click the image to go to the Amazon series page.

 

 

What Are You Reading in 2026?

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“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King

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Most writers are avid readers. An article on medium.com sums it up this way:

In a nutshell, reading and writing are inseparable. The better writers tend to be exceptional readers, and better readers can produce exceptional writing. A writer who doesn’t read is like a musician who doesn’t listen to music or a filmmaker who doesn’t watch films. It is demoralizingly hard to do good work without experiencing the good work that has been done before.

A well-read writer has better verbal skills, discerns the nuances of language, and distinguishes between poor and quality writing, so read more, read widely, and learn from other people who do what you are aiming at with the facility and the skill level you would love to cultivate.

 

I’ve been reading an eclectic variety of books in 2026. Here are some of them:

On Desperate Ground by Hampton Sides

The story of the battles around Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War. I’m writing a novel with Korean War veterans and I wanted to get details of the actual battles.

 

 

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

A book club pick. It’s an interesting novel that explores aspects of the fear of death, the art of fortune telling, and the power of suggestion. Most authors will appreciate the first chapter which almost guarantees readers will turn the page.

 

 

Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen

A fascinating look at the expedition led by Ferdinand Magellan that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. It’s one of the books that fuels my fascination with the early explorers.

 

 

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

Time to saddle up and read about the cowboys. Although I skimmed the long, descriptive sections, I liked the story and found myself eager to get back to it each evening.

 

 

Balancing Life’s Roles by Jarrell Gibbs

This common sense guide to handling all the different roles we play in life was written by a friend of ours. Very useful advice especially for young people.

 

 

Satan’s Subway by Steve Hooley

Our very own Steve Hooley authored this middle grade fantasy. Once again, Steve tackles a serious issue through the eyes of a the Mad River Magic gang.

 

 

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

This was also a book club pick. I read just a few chapters before it had to be returned to the library. The book is wildly popular, and I’d be interested to know if any of you have read it and what you think about it.

 

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Just started this one. I imagine it would be interesting to many authors.

 

 

Now I’m looking for a good mystery. Any recommendations?

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So TKZers: What books are you reading in 2026?

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A missing person. A trail of secrets. Private pilot Cassie Deakin reluctantly follows a mystery that refuses to stay buried—uncovering truths that shine brighter, and more dangerously, with every step.

Click the image to go to the Amazon book detail page.

Ferdinand Magellan and the Hero’s Journey

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“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” ― Christopher Columbus

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I recently read Over the Edge of the World by Laurence Bergreen. It’s a detailed account of Ferdinand Magellan’s extraordinary expedition that resulted in the first circumnavigation of the Earth. For such an accomplishment, you might expect Magellan’s story to be the quintessential tale of the hero. Let’s see how he did:

* * *

In the typical hero’s journey, the main character is reluctant to accept the call to adventure, but Magellan didn’t fit that model. He wanted to lead an expedition. The goal wasn’t necessarily to sail all the way around the world, but to secure fame and fortune by finding a route to the Spice Islands in Indonesia by sailing west—something earlier explorers had failed to do.

Back then, spices were to Europeans what oil is to the world today, i.e., very valuable. So Magellan, being a reliable seaman with strong credentials, felt his plan was something the nautical powers-that-be should be willing to finance.

Those maritime powers were Spain and Portugal, and they ruled the exploration of the world. Being Portuguese, Magellan pitched his plan to King Manuel of Portugal, who repeatedly refused to fund the journey. A lesser man may have given up, but Magellan instead turned to King Charles of Spain who agreed to bankroll the expedition. After all, if a quick route could be found to the Spice Islands in Indonesia, that would mean valuable cloves would line the king’s pantry and silver coins would jingle in his pocketbook.

Magellan at last had his chance to secure his place in history, following in the watery footsteps of his personal hero, Christopher Columbus.

So far, so good.

* * *

In September 1519, Magellan set sail with five ships, 260 seamen, a chronicler named Pigafetta, and a woefully incorrect map of the world.

Previously, no one had found a waterway from the Atlantic Ocean around or through the large land mass we call the Americas, but Magellan had a plan. The map he used showed a strait, a small body of water that sliced through the southern part of the Americas. Magellan went to sea to seek that strait and find a thruway to the Pacific, and he proved himself a true hero in this part of the journey. He led the expedition through a stormy crossing of the Atlantic, suppressed (albeit brutally) a mutiny, identified the mouth of the strait, and managed to continue with three ships after one was lost to a storm and another was taken over by mutineers and turned back to Spain.

By the time the weather was good enough to enter the strait, Magellan, ever the disciplined seaman, carried on and led his group through the treacherous waterway. This was no small feat. The strait was so circuitous, with winding inlets that went nowhere and weather that worked against the expedition, that some historians call Magellan’s crossing of the strait the greatest navigational feat in history.

To put it in perspective, the waterway that came to be known the Strait of Magellan is 350 miles long, a shorter distance than that from Los Angeles to San Francisco.  It took the expedition over a month to maneuver through it. We can only imagine their delight when one morning they sailed out into a vast ocean—the first time a European vessel had crossed from the Atlantic Ocean to the new body of water Magellan named the “Pacific Ocean.”

So how was Magellan doing on the hero scale? He gets high marks for Leadership, Discipline, Endurance, and Courage. But the journey wasn’t over yet.

* * * 

Using his inaccurate charts, Magellan expected it would take just a few days to cross this new ocean to the Spice Islands. It took over three months until they sighted land.

Up until then, Magellan had shown himself to be up to the task of the hero, but once the expedition arrived in the Philippines, his ability to deal with the nuances of other cultures proved to be far weaker than his skill as a seaman. When a tribal king complained about a possible fight with another tribe, Magellan offered to punish the second king by warring with them. In the skirmish that followed, Magellan and several of his crew were killed.

Without Magellan, leadership was lacking, and progress to the Spice Islands was slow. In the end, only one ship managed to acquire a load of spices and complete the circumnavigation. The Victoria sailed into Seville harbor in September 1522, almost a full three years since it had left. Of the 260 sailors in the original expedition, only 18 were aboard.

Following the magnificent accomplishment of the first circumnavigation of the Earth, other expeditions were sent out to retrace Magellan’s route, but they all failed. It would be fifty-eight years before another explorer, Sir Francis Drake, would complete a circumnavigation of the world.

* * *

Authors will appreciate that one major accomplishment of the expedition was the work of the chronicler, Pigafetta, who survived the journey to publish his personal narrative, one version of which resides in the Library of Yale University. Of Pigafetta’s work, Bergreen notes

“…it is a compilation of events, illustrations, translations of foreign tongues, prayers, descriptions, epiphanies, and bawdy asides… The reader of Pigafetta’s chronicle hears his voice, alternately bold, astonished, devastated, fascinated, and in the end, amazed to be alive in the cruelly beautiful world of his time.”

Although his original goal was to find a route to the Spice Islands, perhaps Magellan’s most heroic accomplishment was to have single-handedly changed the map of the entire world. Bergreen writes

“Although no continent or country was named after him, Magellan’s expedition stands as the greatest sea voyage in the Age of Discovery.”

Maybe no countries were named for him, but Magellan did have a couple of impressive remembrances. The Strait of Magellan was named in his honor a few years after the expedition, and two galaxies orbiting the Milky Way that are visible from the Southern Hemisphere were named the Magellanic Clouds. Not bad to have your name enshrined in the heavens.

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So TKZers: What do you think about Magellan? Hero? Flawed meddler in someone else’s quarrel? Cruel task master? Or maybe a combination of these qualities. How do you construct the heroes of your stories? Do you have a Magellan-like hero?

* * * 

 

Heroes come in many sizes and shapes, and the lure of treasure is bound to propel them into adventure.

Join Reen & Joanie as they tackle a treasure hunt with determination and a little help from their friends. Can they fend off the evil Alicia, solve the strange puzzles, and bask in the glory of success? Click on the image to go to the Amazon detail page.

Why Readers Read

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Girl Reading

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” — George R.R. Martin

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I’ve been wondering lately about what exactly people are looking for when they pick up a book to read. Maybe knowing that would help me understand how to construct a novel that would be especially satisfying to the reader. My search took me to a Pew Research report from 2012 where researchers asked people who had read at least one book in the previous twelve months what they liked about reading. I summarized the main reasons below:

  • 26% enjoyed learning, gaining knowledge, and discovering information.

  • 15% cited escaping reality, becoming immersed in another world, and the enjoyment they got from using their imaginations.

  • 12% liked the entertainment, drama, and suspense of watching a good plot unfold.

  • 12% enjoyed relaxing while reading and having quiet time.

  • 6% liked the variety of topics they could access via reading

  • 4% said they enjoy finding spiritual enrichment

  • 3% said they like being mentally challenged by books.

  • 2% cited the physical properties of books – their feel and smell.

Why Readers Read

A more recent poll from Written Word Media found three top reasons people read books in 2026:

  • To relax (86%)
  • To be entertained (83%)
  • To escape (67%)

Clearly, different people get enjoyment from different aspects of reading, but what exactly causes that enjoyment? I was looking for something a little more specific so I returned to the TKZ post John Gilstrap wrote a few weeks ago about the effect our writing has on readers. Here’s some of what he said:

The emotional connection is what counts. Like musical composition, a story is in its way an immortal piece of its creator’s soul. It lies silently until living person picks it up and interprets the author’s words through the filter of the reader’s own life experiences.

That got me thinking.  How does that emotional connection affect readers of different genres? Can I use that information to improve my own story-telling?

I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted in my search, so I turned to Google’s AI to list why people prefer to read certain genres. (Google’s search provides references for the answers it generates.) Here are some of the things I gleaned from the results:

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Mystery readers enjoy puzzles, suspense, and intellectual stimulation. They want compelling characters in stories that provide a comforting resolution that ensures justice has been served.

Thriller readers like adrenaline-fueled suspense and mental stimulation in fast-paced narratives, high stakes, and relatable yet flawed characters.

Readers of suspense desire an emotionally charged narrative that keeps them on the edge of their seat. They like the building anxiety that ends in a satisfying resolution.

True crime readers want to understand the psychological motivations behind criminal behavior and explore the complexities of the justice system. They like the combination of the thrill of being scared with real-life crime stories.

Fantasy readers seek immersive world-building that provides them with an escape from, or a new perspective on, reality.

Romance readers want a guaranteed happy-ever-after (HEA) or happy-for-now (HFN) ending. They’re looking for an intense emotional journey with relatable characters.

Readers of mixed-genre fiction crave fresh narratives that break the monotony of conventional, single-genre stories. They look for a “best of both worlds” experience—such as intense thrills paired with emotional romance or scientific concepts blended with fantasy.

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These are, admittedly, brief summaries and not in-depth reader profiles, but they do point out that people have distinct expectations from the genre they prefer. Understanding that may help an author target a story that hits the bulls eye for their audience.

As a mystery writer with some romance included in my stories, I like the idea of combining John’s “emotional connection” with the list of specific things AI claims mystery readers crave. I guess that makes me a mixed-genre author. Puzzles, suspense, intellectual stimulation, and a strong emotional connection are the short list of keywords on my whiteboard to keep me focused.

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So TKZers: What genre to you write? What do you think about profiling readers by the genre they read? Do you agree with the descriptions above? Does the psychological profile of readers in your genre help you compose your story?

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Only one person believed it was murder. Only one star held the final clue.  And only one woman followed its light to find the killer.

Lacey’s Star – click the image to go to the Amazon detail page.

Why Writers Write

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“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen and write.” ― Martin Luther

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Every now and then we talk about why we feel compelled to write. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and it occurs to me that our motivation for writing may change as we grow in experience.

For example, the reason I decided to write my first novel wasn’t because I wanted to change the world or as some kind of personal catharsis. It was because I was listening to an audiobook while out running one day, and I thought I could write a mystery that was better than the one I was listening to. (A monumental act of hubris.)

When I returned home from my run, I got out my laptop and started typing. It was like being in a canoe, carried down the river by a current so strong, there was no use to fight it, even if I’d wanted to.

But as I got further into the story, I found there were things I wanted to say—about the world, society, myself—that changed my view of why I was doing this. By the time the book was published, I had arrived at a whole new perspective and a new “why” of writing.

* * *

So why do most writers write? Is there one overriding reason? Famous authors have offered their own opinions on this subject. As I read through some of their motivation for writing, I found themes of suffering, love, self-satisfaction, societal problems and more. Here are a few quotes:

“Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself…It’s a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” – Harper Lee

“When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art.’ I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.” – George Orwell

“All that I hope to say in books, all that I ever hope to say, is that I love the world.” ― E.B. White

“I don’t know why I started writing. I don’t know why anybody does it. Maybe they’re bored, or failures at something else.” – Cormac McCarthy

“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor

“I believe there is hope for us all, even amid the suffering – and maybe even inside the suffering. And that’s why I write fiction, probably. It’s my attempt to keep that fragile strand of radical hope, to build a fire in the darkness.” – John Green

“That’s why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. You can’t control life, at least you can control your version.” – Chuck Palahniuk

“I write for those that have no voice, for the silent ones who’ve been damaged beyond repair; I write for the broken child within me…”
― Nitya Prakash

“I write because I love writing. I think I became a writer in order to explore my ideas and responses to the world around me, which I often found it difficult to share with others. Also I liked my autonomy, and a writer can choose his or her own working hours – midnight to dawn or whenever.” – Alex Miller

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But you don’t have to be famous to have a gripping reason to write a book. A few weeks ago, my husband and I hosted a local author event for the community we live in. I had asked each of the ten published authors to send me a statement about why they write. Take a look.

As a former ICU nurse and family caregiver, I want to bring God’s hope to anyone facing a health crisis. —Tracy Crump

“I love teaching and encouraging young children. What better way than through story telling! In my barnyard adventures, I teach values and character building in relatable situations. I love how it gives parents a way to spend time with their child while learning values.” —Becky Thomas

“My stories are tales of trials and victory against impossible odds, carrying the message of enduring hope—because fantasy teaches us that with courage and resilience, we can persevere through the most extraordinary things.” —Beth Alvarez

“I created a coloring book to help kids and kids-at-heart relax and take some quiet time to bring color into their lives. We should live life in every color!” —Annette Teepe

“I write because I want to reach out to young readers who may currently have no spiritual interests that they might discover the difference Jesus can make in their lives and consider following Him.” —Larry Fitzgerald

“I write for the Lord, Kay, Arthur, myself, decency, and to add a drop to the sea of literature.” —Frank DiBianca

“My five mystery novels are set primarily in the historic Memphis area during the post war 1940s. They include action, some gun play, humor and even a little romance now and then.” —Nick Nixon

“Countless books have been written about every Beatles song ever recorded, but I really wanted to read a book about all the hits they had as solo artists. Since that book didn’t exist, I decided to write it.” —Gary Fearon

“I write mysteries because they reflect what I believe—that truth is worth pursuing, and that critical thinking, perseverance, and faith will lead us there.” —Kay DiBianca

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So TKZers:  Why do you write? And more specifically, why are you writing the current book you’re working on? Or any book in your backlist. Has your reason for writing changed over time?

 

Only a single star could reveal the truth buried beneath decades of lies. And only one woman had the courage to follow its light.

Click the image to go to the Amazon book detail page.

What’s New in the Public Domain in 2026

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Only one thing is impossible for God: To find any sense in any copyright law on the planet. —Mark Twain

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Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the United States Constitution grants the U.S. Congress the power “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries”

Congress has used that power to define the “limited time” for authors’ works to be placed in the public domain. According to Google AI

Current U.S. law generally puts works into the public domain 95 years after their publication (for pre-1978 works) or 70 years after the author’s death (for post-1978 works, or 95/120 years for corporate works), with new works entering each January 1st, so as of January 1, 2026, works published in 1930 entered the public domain. This means works from 1930, like early Mickey Mouse cartoons, are now freely usable, while works created today will remain protected until 70 years after the creator’s death. 

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The Center for the Study of the Public Domain on the website of Duke University Law School has a good explanation of the notion of the public domain. Here are a couple of quotes:

When works go into the public domain, they can legally be shared, without permission or fee.

The public domain is also a wellspring for creativity. You could think of it as the yin to copyright’s yang. Copyright law gives authors important rights that encourage creativity and distribution—this is a very good thing. But the United States Constitution requires that those rights last only for a “limited time,” so that when they expire, works go into the public domain, where future authors can legally build on the past—reimagining the books, making them into films, adapting the songs and movies. That’s a good thing too! It is part of copyright’s ecosystem. The point of copyright is to promote creativity, and the public domain plays a central role in doing so.

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Fortunately for us, as of January 1, 2026, thousands of copyrighted works from 1930 entered the public domain in the U.S. Sound recordings from 1925 are also included.

Here are a few that entered the PD this year (with some interesting trivia):

  •  The Maltese Falcon  by Dashiell Hammett – Even though the gold- and jewel-laden Maltese Falcon wasn’t found in the story, the statuettes used as props in the movie turned out to be very valuable indeed. In 2013 a buyer paid $4.1 million for one of them.
  • The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie – Although Miss Marple had appeared in short stories before, The Murder at the Vicarage was her first role as the detective in a novel.
  • As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner – Faulkner claimed to have written the book in six weeks (!) while working at a Mississippi power plant. The book has 15 narrators over 59 chapters. (The title comes from a quote in Homer’s Odyssey where Odysseus has traveled to Hades and meets his old pal Agamemnon who complains about his wife’s behavior as he lay dying.)
  • The first four Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene – As most of us know, Carolyn Keene was the pseudonym for the group of writers in the Stratemeyer Syndicate who produced the Nancy Drew novels. The first books were penned by Mildred Benson, a woman whose adventurous life as a journalist and pilot (I hope Patricia Bradley is reading this) contributed to Nancy Drew’s persona.
  • The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (pseudonym of Arnold Munk) – The tale’s basic idea appeared in a Swedish journal in 1902. Early versions were published in American newspapers around 1906 as sermons or moral tales. The themes of optimism, perseverance, and service over status have captured children’s (and adults’) imaginations for decades. (I wonder if I could write a good book with those themes. I think I can. I think I can.)

A few more books on the 2026 list:

  • Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
  • Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers
  • Private Lives by Noël Coward
  • Ash Wednesday by T.S. Eliot
  • The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell

And several movies:

  • All Quiet on the Western Front, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture
  • Cimarron, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture
  • Animal Crackers, starring the Marx Brothers
  • Soup to Nuts, featuring later members of The Three Stooges
  • Hell’s Angels, Jean Harlow’s film debut, directed by Howard Hughes
  • Murder!, directed by Alfred Hitchcock

A more comprehensive list can be found on the Center for the Study of the Public Domain site.

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So TKZers: Have you read or watched any of the new public domain additions? What other artistic works that have recently come into the public domain do you recommend?

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Forty years ago, Lacey Alderson died—and the truth was buried with her. In Lacey’s Star, private pilot Cassie Deakin lands in the middle of the mystery and discovers old secrets that refuse to stay hidden any longer.

Click the image to fly with Cassie.