Allow me to lay out a story of two English languages, which will—I promise—culminate with a funny story about the phrase, “May I pinch your seat?” My editor at TouchPoint Press for my last novel Horseshoes and Hand Grenades was the talented and delightful Kimberly Carlisle Coghlan. She recently re-shared this funny post on “Being … Continue reading May I Pinch Your Seat? Differences Between American & British English
What, you might ask, does dog vomit have to do with Mother's Day? Newly sprung lilacs--OK, that fits, flowers being a hallmark of the Mother's Day holiday. But dog puke? Just a memorable moment from my Mother's Day in 2008, when my girls were quite young and one of the dogs apparently had an upset … Continue reading Mother’s Day, Newly Sprung Lilacs and Dog Vomit
I had a harsh moment of self-awareness recently when I realized our world's sad state of addiction to Twitter-length "stories" of 280 characters had firmly entrenched its hooks in me. Since I was a little girl, I have loved to read. As an adult, with grown kids and more time on my hands, I read … Continue reading A Sad State of 280 Characters
Let me clarify: I don't hate Women's Fiction. In fact, my most recently published novel, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, can be classified as Women's Fiction. I hate the term "Women's Fiction". Jodi Picoult - Master of Women's Fiction or just Master of Fiction? I don't understand why we need a genre of literature called "Women's … Continue reading Why I Hate “Women’s Fiction”
I recently read The Gargoyle (Anchor Books, 2009) and am compelled to share one of author Andrew Davidson's character descriptions--one so amazing I had to re-read it right then and there, and immediately deemed it The Best Character Description Ever. Authors often struggle to find new and interesting ways to portray their characters as there … Continue reading The Best Character Description Ever
Happy Earth Day! I try to be optimistic about humankind's ability to turn around this climate crisis, and today's announcement out of Washington is encouraging. But let's be honest, we are in a crisis. Just ask the polar bears. Still, let's take today to celebrate the increasing global consciousness about the situation. Despite the bickering … Continue reading Earth Day, the Environment & Books
William Shakespeare and heavy metal musician John Corabi of Mötley Crüe inspire today's post. Yep, you read that right. One of the most often quoted passages from Shakespeare is this sentiment posed by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as … Continue reading What’s In A Name? Or a Book Title?
I joked in this post last year that the Halloween of the future might devolve into costumed parents driving by homes and tossing candy to the kids in their yards. Little did I know that would become a viable option for Halloween 2020 as we deal with COVID-19 and keeping kids safe. So for fun, … Continue reading Halloween 2020: What’s Wrong with Trunk-or-Treat
I think a lot of writers suffer from midnight inspiration, for better or worse. I’m almost done with the first act of my new manuscript (about a group of Millennials grappling with life’s choices and social justice issues), and am happy to report I've found a way to work with these sometimes unwelcome thoughts. Typically, … Continue reading Life of a Writer: Midnight Inspiration
Here's something fun I discovered while running a small survey in conjunction with the 30 Days of Free Books giveaway program: A majority of Americans are spending more time reading books since the coronavirus pandemic began. As those of you who entered to win books through 30 Days know, we asked entrants about their reading … Continue reading People Reading More Books in COVID-19 Pandemic