J. P. Donleavy was an Irish-American playwright and novelist. The Ginger Man, banned for obscenity, was probably his most famous work. This quote is not from his book, but something he said about writing. “Writing is turning one's worst moments into money.“

That's exactly what a writer draws from—those uncomfortable, if not downright tragic, moments of life.

Linda Howard is an auto-buy for me. Her latest, The Woman Left Behind, has compelling characters & ripped-from-the-headlines premise—especially if you've read the nonfiction, Ashley's War. However, the title telegraphs the Black Moment/high concept plot point & the “balance“ of the story seemed off. By that I mean 3/4 of the book was about the heroine training for a tech/Spec Ops position; 1/4 was about relationship/romance/love. 4 of 5 stars