Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

AP Photo This day in history, December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man. Imagine that moment. She was a passenger on a segregated bus, blacks in the back, when the driver yells for her to give up her seat. In that split second she chose to say, “No.” Knowing she was breaking Montgomery, Alabama’s bus segregation law. But also knowing that local civil rights leaders were planning to challenge the racist law. Rosa Parks was a seamstress. A member of the local chapter of the NAACP. She was woman trying to live a decent life who made the split second decision to do something to make it better. To take a stand by not giving up her seat. I can only imagine how much she shook inside while the white man (men?) bellowed at her. I would suppose he demeaned her by calling her names and pointing out her inferior status. I also suppose it might not have been the first time in her life that she was demeaned. It would hardl...

Reprint of a blog post from February 2010 (before I sold my first manuscript!) At dinner last night my husband and I were tucked into a romantic little table for two (okay, romantic is stretching it, but a girl needs an imagination in this era of open, well-lit restaurants).  We were whispering, and I was blushing and giggling (yes, more imagining) when suddenly the person in the booth behind me drew my attention.  I turned and poked my head over the top of the booth and sure enough it was a local disc jockey that I listen to most mornings (one of my favorites, btw).  I recognized her voice. Authors are always told to find their voice.  But is it possible to develop a writing voice so strong that someone would recognize it on the opposite side of a tall booth?  To develop a recognizable voice, an author employs a unique use of words, phrases, and writing techniques that places an author's "stamp" on their work. It is r...

We're all readers here, right? Thank you for visiting the website for authors, Kai Strand and LA Dragoni. Feel free to browse their book pages and read the blog. If you can't find the answer to your question, hop on over to the contact page and drop them an email.  Award winning author, KAI STRAND, is often found exploring hiking trails and snapping pictures of waterfalls in her Oregon hometown. Wife and mother of four, Kai uses her life experiences to connect with young readers. Kai has given numerous presentations throughout Oregon about her work and the writing process. She loves interacting with teens and gaining their insight on their latest reads as well as what they would like to see in future stories. When a number of story ideas, intended for the grown ups among us, wouldn’t stop needling her, a new pen name was born. Under the name LA DRAGONI, she writes about love and all of its complications, joys, and triumphs. She haunts ghost ...