John A. Heldt

For authors, summer is supposed to be the quiet season. It is supposed to be the time we set work aside, take rejuvenating vacations, and ta...

I've been in a dog mood lately. My last dog, Mocha, passed away six years ago, and I miss her terribly. Because of circumstances — Las V...

If I have learned one thing as a parent, it is never to underestimate. Children with drive will find ways to succeed and shine. They will no...

In the beginning, it was my go-to venue, the place where the Northwest Passage series developed. Washington state was a secondary setting i...

The second act is usually the most difficult to write. In literature, as in life, it is the tough center of a story, the important and somet...

Of all the tools and techniques I employ as a writer, it is the one I use the most. When I experience writer's block, I take a walk. I...

The draft is done! At 128,700 words, it is a bit smaller than projected, but it is still big. Annie's Apple , the second book in the Sec...

The book, now seventy percent complete, is going to be a big one. With 90 chapters and a projected 132,000 words, it will trail only The Mem...

It is the gold standard of tragedies. For more than 110 years, the sinking of the RMS Titanic has inspired books, movies, and conspiracy th...

This year was like the proverbial month of March. It came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb. That's fine with me. After ten ye...