Have you ever read or heard something and thought, “Wow, that’s just what I needed to hear”? That happened to me this week reading Elise Bryant’s delightful debut YA novel, Happily Ever Afters. Sixteen-year-old Tessa Johnson loves writing romance stories and sharing them with her best friend, Caroline. But when her family moves to a…
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I’m so delighted to introduce you to Jeanette Pope, one of the newest members of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. Below is what she shared with me about her life and her work: I am the oldest of six children, born and raised in the West End of…
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In 1929, Virginia Woolf published her famous essay, A Room of One’s Own, in which she argued that if a woman is to write, she must have money and a room of her own. I’ve certainly been aware of money as a factor in being able to focus on creative work. In the years when…
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Today, I’m delighted to introduce readers to a dynamo member of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. Below is her bio and her responses to my interview questions. Susan Bell was born in coastal California, then proceeded to travel the country in her role as daughter of a Naval officer.…
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I’m thrilled that my third YA novel, Leisha’s Song, comes out on June 15 from Fire and Ice, the YA imprint of Melange Books. To tell you a little about the book, here is a brief description: Leisha knows something’s wrong. Her beloved vocal coach at boarding school would never have resigned and disappeared like…
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This past week, my publisher sent me the final pdf of my upcoming novel, Leisha’s Song. I was instructed to read it carefully, notate any needed corrections, and have someone else read it as well. We writers are notoriously bad at finding our own spelling and punctuation mistakes. It’s so much easier to find them…
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I’m delighted to introduce you to multi-published author Carol Preflatish, the author of the Nathan Perry Mystery series and seven romantic suspense novels. Currently living in southern Indiana, Carol recently took on the vice-presidency of our local SinC chapter, Derby Rotten Scoundrels. I’m discovering that half the fun of doing these interviews is learning new…
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Even during her dementia years, one of my mom’s favorite expressions was, “I think everything’s under control.” Indeed, she spend most of her life making a valiant effort to control the future by planning for it. An inveterate list-maker who reveled in calendar scheduling, she was the only person I knew who had her holiday…
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“Where do you get your ideas?” may be the most frequently asked question writers get asked, while the follow-up is often, “Do you base your characters on anyone you know?” When I get asked that, I have to say the answer is both “no” and “yes.” No, I’ve never created a character that’s a…
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