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Welcome to Pairings
Pairings by Jann Alexander include creativity, inspiration, books, writing, photography, art, history, travel, Texas life, lore and more
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Jann Alexander
4 days ago2 min read
How to Build a Library, circa 1885: Start with a Book Club
All it took in 1885 to build Houston a city library was a book club, begun by women with a desire for "intellectual culture."
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Jann Alexander
Feb 163 min read
Milestones That Call for Celebration
There's a Magic to Celebrating Milestones...and It Begins With Champagne (and Books About It)
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Jann Alexander
Dec 13, 20242 min read
New Historical Fiction for Book Clubs: My Novel, UNSPOKEN, Is Coming in July
My historical novel is coming in 2025. UNSPOKEN shines a light on women driven apart by disaster who persevere. It's perfect for book clubs
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Jann Alexander
Dec 12, 20242 min read
The Irony of Surpassing Yourself
It’s ironic many extra words writers have to cut once they hit the magic length historical novels are: 100,000 - 120,000. Cue the angst.
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Jann Alexander
Dec 11, 20242 min read
The Next Best Thing To Time Travel
When you’re researching historical fiction, it would be so much easier to rev up the Time Machine. Here's how I did without time travel.
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Jann Alexander
Dec 11, 20245 min read
Three Things Scrivener Can Do You Probably Haven’t Thought Of
Whether you’re a Scrivener power user or a beginner, here are a few things Scrivener can do that you probably can’t do without.
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Jann Alexander
Nov 25, 20246 min read
In Praise of Historical Fiction
The popularity of historical fiction with book clubs has soared. Read why in my conversation with historical author Janis Robinson Daly
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Jann Alexander
Nov 6, 20243 min read
How to Be a Texan: Lessons in Texana
Let's say you're not from Texas. (Cue Lyle Lovett) But you got here quick as you could. Now you want to learn how to be a Texan. Here's how.
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Jann Alexander
Nov 1, 20242 min read
Untangling the Past
Perhaps only a lifetime environmental advocate could write a passionate 20th-century historical novel, packed with Hanford's nuclear...
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Jann Alexander
May 28, 20242 min read
Where Old Typewriters Go to Die
Crowded out by more robust tools, typewriters have vanished from our desks. But not our back yards.
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Jann Alexander
Mar 6, 20233 min read
Three Surprising Sources for Writers ISO Ideas
Inspiration strikes in strange and unexpected ways. But when it doesn’t strike, there are three tricks to juice it along.
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Jann Alexander
Feb 24, 20203 min read
Location, Location, Location
There’s a saying in real estate, that it’s all about location. Location. Location. Location. It’s just as true in writing historical novels.
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Jann Alexander
Jul 10, 20132 min read
Time Traveling on the Road
Road trips have an appeal that goes way back in time, and roadside oddities abound for time travelers willing to take a fork in the road.
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