My Books
“In the Sleep of Death”
A Supernatural Victorian Fantasy
Eloping with the Necromancer was her first mistake. Running from the posse was her second.
How can Lorena break free of her husband’s dark magic when he is able to enter her mind and read her thoughts?
Top-rated Posts
9 Rules for Writing Time Travel
9 story-building tips for writing time travel stories
Keep reading …Erwin Schrödinger, Cat Killer
Schrodinger was a sick puppy. If you really look at his experiment, it’s very disturbing. In fact, if you stop to look at it…
Keep reading …Steely-Eyed Missile Man
My favorite guy in all of NASA history is someone you’ve likely never heard of – John Aaron, the engineer they called the “Steely-Eyed…
Keep reading …The World’s Smartest Tree?
What’s the smartest tree on Earth? I think I have the answer …
Keep reading …A girl named Jane
Kindergarten wouldn’t have been so scary if I’d gotten the answer right to this one simple question …
Keep reading …The Uncle, the Bomb, and the Beer Hall
My uncle nearly died in a bomb explosion during WWII. What’s odd about that is that he was in Iowa at the time.
Keep reading …Walk of Fame
I took a deep breath, thinking “I hope no one noticed.” Yeah, right.My entire office witnessed …
Keep reading …The Christmas Millionaire
Twenty-six years ago today, a crazy thing happened. My dad won the lottery. Yep, no kidding. The real deal. All six numbers. Jackpot. I…
Keep reading …Nicer in Iowa
Big city people won’t ever believe you when you say that small-town folk are nicer, but it’s true. It isn’t that they aren’t worldly…
Keep reading …
Make sure to check out the
“Books I Can’t Stop Talking About“ page for reviews and recommendations of great books from other writers!
Indie authors, please message me if you would like me to review and link to your books.
I love sharing fun bits of research and embarrassing personal stories.
Read my latest blog posts below.
The Pyromania of Writer’s Block
Watching this one writer struggle with his great idea taught me about overcoming writer’s block.
The Bunny and the Over-Imaginative Child
There’s a reason I stopped taking my kids to see the Easter Bunny.
Responding as a nation
I’ve never written before about the shooting at my child’s school, but I need to say this …
That Pioneer Spirit
The number of skills you had to master to be a pioneer in the American West staggers me.
Thanks for Giving Me Thanksgiving
It wasn’t until my great-grandmother died that I finally understood my mother’s love for Thanksgiving.
The Inexperienced Tourist
The summer I turned 16, I hopped a plane to NYC. I’d not only never traveled alone before, I’d never even been in an airport …
Hillbilly Surprise
Let me tell you all a story about a man named Jed. … But I’ll tell you, the ending isn’t what I expected.
When Your Characters Don’t Speak Your Language
I assumed I could get away with writing my villain’s speech based on what I THOUGHT German people sounded like in the movies.
I was wrong.
Grieving My Mom, Plus a Boat Race
I lost my mother very suddenly this summer to cancer. I’ve been reeling from that all year and I thought I’d run the gamut of emotions already …
What’s on YouTube tonight?
Ready to binge on fun, free television? Try these YouTube channels.
My Query Letter Breakthrough
I think every unpublished author is seeking the magic formula to a winning query letter. I discovered mine by accident …
Football’s Next Golden Idea
I found the next golden idea for football … in the pages of a 1979 Sports Illustrated.
Surviving Panic Attacks in IT
It was a nightmare. Sheer panic. So I made myself a promise …
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My advice to aspiring writers:
You will never find time to write. You have to make time.
Kimberly Van Ginkel is a published novelist living in the Midwest.
Her debut novel, “In the Sleep of Death,” has been described as “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” meets “The Ten Thousand Doors of January.”
Kimberly Van Ginkel 