Blog Posts

My Play Will Be Published by Choeofpleirn Press

cover of the Autumn 2023 edition of Choeofpleirn Press's Rushing Thru the Dark

I love writing fiction, but drama has always been my first love. Hence my Young Adult series, Bit Players, which is set in a high school drama club. On the suggestion of a good friend, I turned my novelette The Wallace House of Pain into a stage script. And, to my sheer delight, I can … Continue reading My Play Will Be Published by Choeofpleirn Press

Wallace House of Pain $1 This Week

book the wallace house of pain against a background of fall orange leaves

I'm overstating: Actually, The Wallace House of Pain -- my novelette about troubled family relations, modern social justice issues and deeply personal choices -- is being offered as a special promotion this week for only $0.99, starting at 5 PM tonight! Buy it here. The Wallace House of Pain is about a 45-minute read, and … Continue reading Wallace House of Pain $1 This Week

Book Deal Update: Beautiful and Terrible Things

illustration of a Take 2 board

Maybe I should have called this post: Book Deal, Take 2: Beautiful and Terrible Things. Beautiful and Terrible Things is my next novel -- the story of six friends who remind us that friendship has the power to validate, destroy, transform and save lives. I have bad news and good news. And the bad news … Continue reading Book Deal Update: Beautiful and Terrible Things

It’s a Pitch Party in the 603

authors Susie Spikol and S.M. Stevens holding their books

Time to report in on two recent writing events I attended. NHWP 603 Writers’ Conference I was thrilled to be one of five finalists in the "Pitch Party" competition at the 2023 603 Writers' Conference sponsored by the New Hampshire Writers' Project (NHWP) on June 3rd. My submission was for my work-in-progress, a novel entitled … Continue reading It’s a Pitch Party in the 603

The Play’s the Thing

cover of The Wallace House of Pain on a tablet with a plant in the background

A reader of The Wallace House of Pain says it would make a good play. I agree! After all, as Shakespeare said, "the play's the thing". I have always been a huge drama nerd, and would love to write plays some day. Put it on the list... Why would this novelette translate so well to … Continue reading The Play’s the Thing

Book Lovers Soaps

Bar of soap crafted to look like a little orange covered book, from Holiday Farm

I don't usually talk about non-book products here, but this is too good not to share. You know those people who love books so much they would bathe in them if they could? Or maybe they just read in the bathtub? (Guilty.) I recently came across the perfect gift for those people -- actual bars … Continue reading Book Lovers Soaps

If You Lived Through the 1980s…

If you lived through the 1980s with their "alcohol and drugs, the promiscuity, the inappropriate office behavior" as a new reviewer puts it, then you'll relate to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades! And let's not forget big hair, padded shoulders, and MTV -- all of which helped make the 1980s so special! That's me on the … Continue reading If You Lived Through the 1980s…

New Review: Bit Players, Has-Been Actors and Other Posers

3 Bit Players books on a shelf

Here's an excerpt from a new review of Bit Players, Has-Been Actors and Other Posers posted recently on Amazon: "As a lifelong Broadway theatre lover, I found myself enjoying Bit Players, Has-Been Actors and Other Posers fully! Great characters, a fast-moving story, and wonderful descriptions of the musical created and staged by the high school … Continue reading New Review: Bit Players, Has-Been Actors and Other Posers

Fun Friday Photo: Animal Gang

motley crew of animals including a llama, a fierce looking cow, a sheep, goat, and plumed chicken

Time to get back into Fun Friday Photos! Life is too short not to celebrate and share funny bits. My regular followers know animals are a common theme for me. So today's Fun Friday Photo is animal-themed. I call it the "Animal Gang". I'm guessing that in this animal gang, the llama and the Scotch … Continue reading Fun Friday Photo: Animal Gang