Posts by Lynn Slaughter
My Hidden Super Power
Growing up, my favorite super hero was Superman. I longed to be able to fly, bend steel with my bare hands, and stop bad guys in their tracks. Sadly, I never acquired any of Superman’s powers, but I recently discovered I have one. I can stop any quartz watch dead in its tracks simply…
Read MoreWhy My Husband Should Write a Book (Even Though He Never Will)
It’s been 36 years, and I am still madly in love with my husband. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that I keep falling in love with the same person over and over, who happens to be my spouse. It’s not about any of the stuff you see in the media that’s supposed…
Read MoreWhat Really Matters
I’ve yet to meet a writer who says, “Yippee! Another rejection!” While rejection is an inevitable part of putting our work out there, it’s never fun. When I got one of those dreaded “No’s” last week, I went through my usual three bags of Oreos during two days of total dejection. Who in their…
Read MoreGhosts from Our Past
Deb Shapiro, the publicist for Page Street, arranged to offer a giveaway on KidsBuzz/Shelf Awareness for my newly released novel, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU. She decided to have the entries sent directly to me, presumably so that I could begin building an email list of readers who were interested in my work. This…
Read MoreEmpathy: Essential for Writing… and Life
My professional writing skills students had to pretend to be a swim club manager who was writing a “bad news” letter to a long time member. The recently widowed member was distraught over the loss (probably theft) of her diamond engagement ring while she was swimming. She wanted the club to reimburse her, even though…
Read MoreWrestling Coach Wisdom
The other night, I attended a ceremony honoring a neighboring city’s eighth grade student wrestlers, including my grandson. The veteran high school coach was the guest speaker and made a big pitch to the students to enroll in the local high school and continue wrestling. He trotted out seniors from his team who’d excelled…
Read MoreI Love Being Wrong: Book Signing Bliss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZoJ5OKmEJY Most authors can tell you stories about their less than successful efforts at doing book signings. In fact, a Sisters in Crime friend from our local chapter, Derby Rotten Scoundrels, shared this hysterical YouTube posting by Parnell Hall about his experiences. So, when Deb Shapiro, the terrific publicist hired by Page Street,…
Read MoreActs of Love
I once read a story about a writer who so detested his wife that he plotted to kill her. Since she was a devoted partner who delighted in cooking him gourmet meals, this seemed surprising. Until the author revealed late in the story that there was one thing the wife had never done. She’d never…
Read MoreLiving Life Vicariously
As parents, we’re not supposed to live our lives vicariously through our adult children. We’re advised to focus on living our own lives and following our own dreams. But sometimes, I’ve decided it’s A-okay to savor life’s joys vicariously. Take this past Monday, for example. Our beautiful daughter-in-law, now in her mid-thirties, waited anxiously all…
Read MoreThere's Never a Good Time to Write
The young woman standing next to me in the coffee line at church was a gifted writer. She’d done a reading of her poetry several months before, and I’d been blown away by the lyricism and elegance of her work. At the reading, she’d talked about how much she was enjoying getting back to…
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