C. P. Lesley, Novelist

Thoughts on stories and storytelling inspired by Kevin Ashton's nonfiction book "The Story of Stories," due out in March 2026 from Harper.

A writing post on the importance of titles and the difficulty, sometimes, of finding the right one for a particular novel

Annual roundup of what I did in 2025 and hope to accomplish in 2026

Memories of a remarkable American life, 1922-2025

Writing a novel when fictional characters act as if they have minds of their own

Writing post about beginnings and endings, as well as how they define the structure of a novel

Updates on my writing process, specifically the rough draft and the first revision, with reference to Song of the Silk Weaver

Book release announcement for C. P. Lesley's historical fiction novel Song of the Steadfast, due out in June 2025 from Five Directions Press

On problems with keeping characters' details straight while writing the Legends of the 5 Directions and Songs of Steppe & Forest series

C. P. Lesley's annual overview of tasks attempted, accomplished, and not yet attained in 2024

A discussion of what an author means by "watching characters grow" in a single novel or across a series

A short discussion about the pluses and minuses of procrastinating while writing, exemplified by my own work

Reflections on Thanksgiving as one generation of hosts yields space to the next

The joys and perils of historical research when writing fiction, with special attention to the author's next Songs of Steppe & Forest novel

Life in retirement takes some getting used to, so here are thoughts about the decision to slow down and ways to occupy that freed-up time

Interview about co-writing conducted by Joan Schweighardt with C. P. Lesley and P.K. Adams, discussing The Merchant's Tale

Inventory of everything I have been doing to clear the decks, much of it associated with writing, so that I can return to my current novel

On how what was supposed to be a writing vacation turned into a vacation from writing, and why that may not be a bad thing

A look at my writing plans for 2024, as well as other book and editing news

The why of writing fiction, and thoughts about whether it is best to focus on the story or the sales