Category Archives: Strongly Held Beliefs

Greatness in Diversity

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Karen Sandler

A while back, President-Elect Trump’s staff posted a page requesting feedback on how we Americans thought we could “Make America Great.” I took the opportunity to respond. My response is below, with some minor editing. What makes America great is its … Continue reading →

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Solace in Cats

Posted on December 5, 2016 by Karen Sandler

I’m one of those who’s still dealing emotionally with the election last month. I’ve been reeling from horror story to horror story, my stomach in knots. I can’t say things are looking any brighter close to a month afterwards. I’m finding … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats Horses and Other Pets, Strongly Held Beliefs | 2 Comments

7 Jewish Authors Get Personal About Anti-Semitism

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Karen Sandler

Anti-Semitism: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group. —Merriam-Webster When I was asked to put together a roundtable discussion on anti-Semitism, I admit I felt like a fraud when I agreed. My Jewish dad … Continue reading →

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When Life Turns on a Dime

Posted on August 2, 2015 by Karen Sandler

Sometimes life imitates fiction. For instance, you’re tooling along, everything as usual, expecting to grill a couple burgers for dinner, then kick back and watch the ball game And out of the blue, something happens that throws you a curve, all your mundane expectations … Continue reading →

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When Your Characters Come Out to You

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Karen Sandler

I recently guest blogged at GayYA.org and wanted to share. In the post, “Are They LGBTQIA? Let Your Characters Tell You,” I talk about how I discovered the sexual orientation of characters in my Tankborn Trilogy as I wrote the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Diverse Books, Strongly Held Beliefs, Tankborn Origins, Writing Craft | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Near Death, Divine Providence, and Mining the Past

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Karen Sandler

When I was 12 years old, I nearly died. At the time, my two older sisters and I lived with our mom in the San Bernardino Mountains, about 2 hours east of Los Angeles. It was Easter Sunday, and we’d … Continue reading →

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Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Karen Sandler

January 16th would have been my mom’s 83rd birthday, so my sisters and I were sharing memories of her that day. My mom was a hoot–wacky, creative, and with a great sense of humor. She’s the one who invented our … Continue reading →

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Taxes, Books Read, & Diversity

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Karen Sandler

I’m having a grand old time getting my taxes organized…perhaps not. But in the course of said organization, I made a tally of books read in 2014. The bulk of what I’ve read were ebooks purchased from our Beloved Overlord, … Continue reading →

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If #WeNeedDiverseBooks, Why Not Just Self-Publish?

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Karen Sandler

A while back, I wrote this post. I ranted about how during the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign, some white folks jumped on the hashtag to flog their own books (which may or may not have been truly diverse). I got into a … Continue reading →

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Thanks for Adding to the Conversation–But Could You Sit Down and Listen Now?

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Karen Sandler

The first tweet featuring the #WeNeedDiverseBooks hashtag appeared on April 24th, 2014, and since then the campaign has exploded worldwide. The topic was trending on Twitter days before its official three day inauguration, with dozens of people answering the question: … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Strongly Held Beliefs, The Writing Life | Tagged | 12 Comments