My father was a “big deal” in the publishing world. Prior to the illness that eventually took his life, he was the number two guy at McGraw-Hill. His boss delivered his eulogy. Harold McGraw genuinely loved my dad, not only for his business contributions but for his character and friendship. Leafing through the sympathy letters…
I’m so delighted to welcome Pam Meyer to my blog today! Pam is not only a gifted writer but is extraordinarily supportive of other authors in our online Guppies chapter of Sisters in Crime. If there’s a place in heaven for talented authors who are also really generous people, Pam will definitely be there! Below…
Recently, a dear author friend and I had a total miscommunication breakdown. Here’s what happened. In late March, unbeknownst to me, my friend stopped receiving any emails from me: no submissions of my work for our critique group (she solicited my chapters from other group members), no thank you notes for her feedback on my…
My fourteen-year-old creative writing student and I had our last session of the semester before summer break. She is a gifted writer already working on a novel. When I asked her what she enjoyed the most about our sessions, she said, “The writing prompts. I feel like it gets our creative juices going.” I had…
This afternoon, Joyous Singers, my chorus of music-loving seniors will sing at the memorial service of a longtime beloved choral member. On a recent Thursday at one of our final rehearsals before the start of our spring concert series, a group of us chatted amiably before the start of practice. Our soon-to-be deceased friend seemed…
Coming from a family peppered with jazz musicians, I grew up listening to gifted big band vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald who went on to successfully build solo careers in the 1950s and beyond. I thought I was familiar with all the great jazz vocalists of that period, but I was…
Last weekend, I attended Malice Domestic, a popular conference for mystery authors and fans held annually in Bethesda, Maryland. I missed going last year and was determined to make it this time, despite another spinal flareup that’s made it difficult for me to walk or stand for any length of time without a lot…