Last month my first novel, “Scouts’ Honor,” was published by Inlandia. As an academic historian, I’ve written and edited myriad books, but none of that prepared me for the novel-writing experience.

My new book arrived on my doorstep today: “Writing Tools for the College Admissions Essay.” If you are counting, that makes 21 books with my name on the cover as editor or author. But it is only with ...

Last year, I was laid off, and I suddenly found myself with a lot of free time. I decided to do something I've always wanted to do. I started writing a novel. In the process, I learned a lot about ...