Alison's Blog
Historical Novel Society Conference, St. Petersburg, FL, June 2013
Mon, 2013-05-13 05:23 | by alison
The Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort is a historic landmark
The Historical Novel Society Conference will take place at the Vinoy Hotel in St. Petersburg, FL, from June 20 to June 23rd. I'll be co-leading, with Mary Burns, a workshop on Book Trailers. The conference meets in the U.S. and the U.K. on alternate years, so register by the May 25th deadline!
Two Spots Left for 4th Curlew Writing Conference in Howth, Ireland
Sun, 2013-04-14 13:15 | by alison
Howth Head LightFollowing on the great success of three previous Curlew Writing Conferences, Annie Deppe, Ted Deppe, and Suzanne Strempek Shea are offering a new week for serious writers this coming October in Howth, a beautiful seaside village twenty minutes north of Dublin.
Review of PORTRAITS OF AN ARTIST by Mary F. Burns
Tue, 2013-02-19 10:29 | by alisonViable Paradise
Sun, 2013-01-27 18:07 | by alisonI've been travelling so much that only now have I had time to reflect on what, in writing terms, 2013 should be about for me. Mostly, it's all about what I learned at Viable Paradise.
Codex Calixtinus Found
Tue, 2013-01-01 01:48 | by alisonHappy New Year!
I was happy to start the new year by stumbling on a news item I missed earlier: the stolen Codex Calixtinus has been found.
The Next Big Thing: The Road to Santiago
Thu, 2012-12-27 15:09 | by alison
Sign of the Camino
What's better than a virtual book tour? Blog hopping! I was tagged by Camille Griep, who is writing a literary fantasy/women's novel called Letters to Zell. Read more »
The Films of Tim Burton goes digital
Tue, 2012-12-11 13:55 | by alison
My book, The Films of Tim Burton: Animating Live Action in Hollywood, is now available as a PDF downloadable book.
Baltimore Book Festival 2012 - is Steampunk sci-fi or fantasy?
Sun, 2012-11-04 16:33 | by alison
The 18th annual Baltimore Book Festival took place September 28, 29 and 30th, 2012. There were nationally known writers.
Review of Gentlemen of the Road
Wed, 2012-09-19 21:17 | by alison
First, let me say, I did not write this review. But it pretty much sums up everything I love about this book. So enjoy this review by Reuben Polling on Dorkadia. Then go read the book. Read more »
Review of A Time Never Lived by Terry Lynn Defino
Sat, 2012-06-09 13:51 | by alison
Carlos Aponte and the Hotel Sevilla
Tue, 2012-03-27 15:54 | by alisonThere is one thing Cubans and EstadoUnidenses alike seem to agree on, and that is that the embargo must and will end, and that soon... Read more »
The Writing Life and Rejection
Sat, 2012-03-24 11:10 | by alisonMy friend, Diana Muñoz Stewart, is one of those cheerful and indefatigable people. So it was a bit of shock to find out she was so completely depressed the other day that she couldn't write and was resigned to watching TV. That was NOT the Diana I know. Read more »
CEIBA TREES: The Holy Trees of Cuba
Mon, 2012-03-19 15:02 | by alison
Ceiba Tree in front of Templete
Alison McMahan signs with Little Studio Films
Sun, 2012-01-29 06:51 | by alisonBig news: as a screenwriter, I am now represented by Alexia Melocchi of Little Studio Films. Read more »
LightBringer by Diana Muñoz Stewart wins prize
Sat, 2012-01-07 22:14 | by alisonMy friend Diana Munoz-Stewart just won second prize in the RoseCity Romance Writer's contest for her paranormal YA romance LIGHTBRINGER.
Starting the Pilgrimage
Tue, 2011-07-19 14:00 | by alison
Ruins of Santa Cristina Hospice in Somport
One can start the Camino, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, from hundreds of different places all around Europe or even further abroad. But if you want to do the Spanish portion, as we did, then you are most likely to start in one of the spots in the Pyrenees where the routes from France cross into Spain. The two principle passes are in Roncesvalles and in Santa Cristina de Somport, which is only a few miles north of Jaca.
The Sura of the Aljaferia
Sun, 2011-07-10 12:56 | by alisonIn my first blog on the Aljaferia of Zaragoza, I mentioned that some verses, or Sura, from the Koran were carved on the inner walls of the palace.
Incredible but true: Codex Calixtinus stolen from Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela
Thu, 2011-07-07 18:45 | by alison
Detail from Codex CalixtinusFor all of us who have walked the Camino, or those who dream of walking the Camino, the Codex Calixtinus is our original guide. But now the oldest version of it, an illuminated manuscript from the 12th Century, has been stolen from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
Jaca and Ramiro I
Sun, 2011-05-15 09:11 | by alison
Ramiro I
We are still visiting locations in my novel by car. A key town in my historical novel, The Road to Santiago, is Jaca, a principal city in the province of Huesca.
The Aljaferia of Zaragoza, Wallada Bint al Mustakfi
Wed, 2011-05-04 11:49 | by alison
Aljaferia Mihrab
For many years I've had a poster of an interior of the Aljaferia on the wall in front of my writing desk. Read more »
