This is a rerelease of the original podcast recorded on February 3, 2002, to celebrate Marla McDaniel's dedication to the Amelia Island Writers. She is retiring and starting a new chapter in her life in Florida. We thank her and wish her well!      Marla grew up between homes in south Florida and an Indiana family farm. She enjoys small towns, country roads, islands, antiques, and history. Amelia Island contains, within its small area, the qualities she and her family enjoy as their...

With my current thriller manuscript ("Claim Denied") in the hands of beta readers, I had time to think about writing another book: a sequel, a thriller set in a small town with fascinating, quirky characters. When I looked back at a community on the Eastern Shore of Virginia I visited a few times in early 2000, I came upon a startling, sweet surprise! I dug deeper! It was clear: I had to write this novel!  I joined J. Thorn's 5-day challenge using his "Three Story Method", outlined the...

Diann Schindler, DiannAbroad, takes us back to her 3rd grade geography class in Hamilton, Ohio, when her first thought of travelling outside the United States burst forth, infiltrating her head and her heart. She was nine years old. But, it wasn't until decades later that she truly acted on that notion, with full conviction, and came to understand that travelling is all about the people...meeting people from all walks of life and lands. Making connections is the true essence of broadening...

This is my first podcast of 2022! Why? You'll just have to listen. Meanwhile, here is the supporting information.  Here I am in Cascais, PT... my 40 minutes trek once a week from my apartment in Monte Estoril. Below, pics of the Men's International Tennis Tournament. The Estoril Open. That's Gasquet serving. Great day!  Dinner on the ocean with Cidalia and Nelia in Cascais. Below is a photo of my last book, "Claim Denied" published last year. To get your copy, click HERE. I talk...

From her new home in Portugal and her last podcast for 2021, Diann Schindler focuses on mind improving meditation; moving from Madeira Island to Monte Estoril; and after 6 years as a solo nomad, her need to find a permanent home - where she can return after traveling.  Deepak Chopra's 21 Days of Abundance meditation podcasts.  Me on the northeast coast of Madeira Island.     Monte Estoril, the Monte Carlo of Portugal - my new community, near Lisbon, on the Iberian Peninsula.  My...

DiannAbroad reports on her first 2 weeks as a Portuguese resident, starting with Madeira Island. She also discusses Machico and how it got its name in 1419, the filming of the 1956 "Moby Dick" movie off the shores of Madeira, and the adjustments to living in a new culture. 

True Crime Story: Sophie and Hannah: Two women with different backgrounds, different circumstances, and different mindsets. Yet, both are wanted for murder. What made them do it? Court-appointed forensic psychologist, Dr. Rosie Klein, untangles the web of circumstances surrounding each act of violence, and more

Diann interviews Darryl Bollinger, discussing his latest thriller, "The Healing Tree", set in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, not far from his home. When protagonist Reeves butts up against Big Pharma and greed, he faces danger.

DiannAbroad explains writers' block is real, and it came at her with a vengeance, cloaked in what she was celebratory excitement just when I released my thriller novel to beta readers. . This podcast lays out her strategies to address my personal variety of writer’s block.

Diann is back to podcasting again after a 6-week hiatus and I'm writing goals for 2021. First, in order to look forward, I needed to look back to 2020...briefly, at least. This podcast does that: I look back and then talk about my 2021 goals with an eye to encouraging you to write your goals for 2021.

Schindler's latest book, "Claim Denied," is an electrifying international cyber-espionage thriller. It emerged from her experiences as a higher educational consultant at an American University in Kosovo.

Barbara Rein debuted her first book series in fourth grade, The Adventures of Cassandra McGillicuddy in Outer Space, complete with stick figures drawings. She's now an award-winning and Amazon-best-selling author. Listen to her tell us about her father's creepy bedtimes stories, and more.

Linda M. Whitaker is a retail data scientist, and a writer of science and technology thrillers.  By day she plays with numbers, by night, with words. Her debut techno thriller is "The Crucible of Steele". Listen to Whitaker talk about her work, science fiction, Darwin and Galton, and more.

Readers love stories that take place in small towns. All the characters have something to hide. Diann lists a few classic small-town novels and discusses small-town movies. A great way to escape into another world.

In July 2017, I stayed in The Petite House (Airbnb) in Agde, France, a tiny village of 22,450 pop. a mile north of Cap de Agde, the seaside resort on the Mediterranean Sea. Giving this is the first week of the French Open, I thought it fitting I indulge myself and reminisce  about this lovely village.

Dialogue 102: Creating dialogue to avoid "monomouth." Editor Bona Hayes and Diann Schindler provide examples of dialogue illustrating word choice, cadence, pet words and phrases, and reactions to stress, shock, and excitement. 

DiannAbroad, solo nomad, travel blogger, and travel photographer, captures her experiences working for the American University of Kosovo and facing a series of eye surgeries in Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo. After a very long 6 months, she escapes to Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Land of Smiles.  It's in this zen-like community, she faces her fears of possible blindless. https://www.diannabroad.com/podcasts

Learn the 3 purposes of dialogue and how to achieve purpose by writing dialogue that expresses internal thoughts, action and reaction, dialect and accent, and exposition - with a unique style that is authentic and captivates your reader. Do's & Don'ts of dialogue.

Enjoy fun and substantive discussions about writing with Bona Hayes and Diann Schindler. Conversations for all levels of writers: beginners, intermediate and even advanced. This week: SHOWING VS TELLING. Bona's Bite Size Nuggets recordings are released the third Thursday of every month.

BONA'S BITE SIZE NUGGETS: Enjoy fun and substantive discussions about writing.  Conversations  for all levels of writers: beginners, intermediate and even advanced. In this episode, Bona explains Point of View.

Diann Schindler interviews Marilyn R. Atlas – Film Producer/Personal Manager, a charismatic and down -to-earth professional with great tips for character development, and creating bold, complex and memorable characters.  She is a delight!

Writer, editor, Bona Hayes provides editing tips, her experiences as an editor, and her work with J.J. Clarke, award winning mystery/thriller author.

Award winning author, Margaret Best, gives us a preview of her up and coming book, "Guam: Where America’s Day Begins" - available 2021.

Diann Schindler interviews awarding-winning author Paula Stone Tucker: "Surviving: A Kent State Memoir," and, hears her personal account of that dreadful day.