Author Archives: Sandra Neily

About Sandra Neily

Sandy’s novel “Deadly Trespass” received a Mystery Writers of America award, was named a national finalist in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association “Rising Star” contest, a finalist in the Mslexia international novel competition, a runner- up in Maine’s Joy of the Pen competition, and recently, an international SPR fiction finalist. Sandy lives in the woods of Maine and says she’d rather be “fly fishing cold streams, skiing remote trails, paddling near loons, or just generally out there—unless I’m sharing vanishing worlds with my readers. "

Is the Cassandra Curse Still Operative? You Decide…

Posted on October 2, 2018

Sandra Neily here. Thinking about curses, modern and ancient. It turned out to be a motivating week to return to the Cassandra Curse as I worked on my next novel, returning to the narrator who lives that curse. Named Cassandra … Continue reading →

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Loons and Lakes; Laughter and Longing

Posted on September 5, 2018

  Sandra Neily here: It’s that time of impending fall when young loons, not yet mated for life, gather in adolescent gangs around Maine’s lakes and ponds.  During the day they practice take-offs with flailing wings and loud inexpert splashing.  … Continue reading →

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Words, Words, Words or … Great Advice

Posted on August 2, 2018

Sandra Neily here: In the dog-days of summer (why do they call it that? … best time to hang with wet, shedding, picnic-eating friends….) I needed some inspiration. Diving deeply into my “love-this-quote” file, I found gems to share.  Agatha Christie: “Crime … Continue reading →

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What Do You Recommend? Groan. (Must Be Summer in Maine)

Posted on July 5, 2018

  It’s July! When everyone in the world I know suddenly decides it’s time to visit me in Maine. I am often sure the “Maine” part looms large over the “me” part. But it’s time to arm yourself with a great … Continue reading →

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“It’s Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been”

Posted on June 7, 2018

  Mary Anne Evans once wrote “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” And she did become what she should have been. She became the novelist George Eliot, choosing a man’s pen name to ensure … Continue reading →

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Fiction and Truth. Not an Oxymoron

Posted on May 4, 2018

Fiction and Truth Sandra Neily here, encouraging readers and authors to feel good about fiction and truth. It’s a mystery to me why essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote these lines: “Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.” I’m just grateful that … Continue reading →

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Must We Kill Our Darlings?

Posted on April 5, 2018

Sandra Neily here, with more on murder. William Faulkner had this advice: “In writing, you must kill all your darlings.” Stephen King drove the knife deeper: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings,” he wrote. “even when it breaks your egocentric little … Continue reading →

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