by Danielle | May 29, 2023 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
From book 3, Sweetwood Christmas Zena needed to splash some cold water on her face before she met with this guy. She made her way to the bedroom that was always reserved for her. The nerve of Holly Blake! And how come Miss Divorced from NYC knew about her aunt and...
by Danielle | May 15, 2023 | Blog Post |
Every compelling story needs a villain the reader loves to hate. He or she is the antagonist—the driving force behind the plot, the character who creates conflict and makes the hero’s journey meaningful. Without a villain, a novel can feel flat and...
by Danielle Scruton | Mar 27, 2023 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
From my WIP… Lily had always been the one to direct their days. That was, perhaps, the biggest adjustment that he had to make when she passed. How to fill the time that she had so capably plotted out for him all those years? He loved routine and...
by Danielle | Dec 31, 2022 | Blog Post |
Excerpt from The Sweetwood Series, Book 2 Back at the hotel, Jacob headed straight for the shower knowing it was the only way to ensure his mother would leave him alone. Minutes later though, she was knocking at the door. “Darlin’? Jacob, honey, it’s your mother.” He...
by Danielle | Nov 8, 2022 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
The city bus in downtown Niagara Falls is quiet. Tourists take the casino buses. It’s just me, some teenagers and an elderly woman with her shopping basket on wheels. My nerves are in my throat; I swallow them, but it doesn’t work. The tension slides down...
by Danielle | Sep 27, 2022 | Blog Post |
“Robena!” I hear the voice, but I keep going. I trudge up Clifton Hill, searching for a full breath and some sanity. “Robena! Stop!” And then I’m drenched. Apparently, someone has seen fit to douse me with what I pray is water....
by Danielle | Sep 21, 2022 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
* Be sure to listen to the audio version as there is a cool story behind this novel. ~ D The art gallery where I work is a small store on a tiny street in downtown Niagara Falls. The walls are the colour of bone and peppered with black and white photographs of people...
by Danielle Scruton | Aug 15, 2022 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
From my WIP… All the booths at the pub were full, but that suited Manfred just fine. He preferred to sit at the bar, staring up at the screen with a game he didn’t care about. It was a meditation of sorts, a way to empty his mind by focusing on something...
by Danielle Scruton | Aug 8, 2022 | Blog Post, Podcast Episode |
I kicked off my ankle boots and turned on the lights of my parent’s condo. As always, I was welcomed and, frankly, surrounded by their forty-seven plants, including twelve giant ferns. Caring for these things sometimes felt like a full-time job. My mother...
