Do you ever have weeks where a bunch of little things go wrong and somehow, it feels overwhelmingly distracting and frustrating? Well, I had one of those weeks recently. My PayPal account was hacked, and suddenly, I was sending out hundreds of invoices for hundreds of dollars to folks I’d never heard of. It took…
My older son got to attend the Democratic Convention, and I got to watch it for four nights on television. We had fun yesterday on the phone comparing notes on what we saw, heard, and felt. To say we were both inspired is the understatement of the year. The attendees looked like America—a rich tapestry…
For the past two years, I’ve been working with a gifted teenager on her writing at the Louisville Academy of Fine Arts. She’s currently writing a novel, and the quality of her work excites me. Our weekly sessions include reviewing her pages, as well as discussing craft articles and talking about writing-related challenges. I often…
Along with every other author on the planet, one of the most frequent questions I get asked is: “Where do you get your ideas?” For me, it’s often something that I’ve directly experienced or observed that’s left a lasting impression on me. For example, when I was in high school, a friend and I attended…
My young adult novel, MISSING MOM, comes out in January of next year, and pre-orders will be available this coming fall. I’m getting excited! Here’s a brief description: Devastated by her mom’s sudden disappearance and the evidence pointing to suicide, seventeen-year-old Noelle, an aspiring ballet dancer, doesn’t believe her mom would ever have taken her…
I’ve always been fascinated by the ways in which our various life experiences and career paths inform our writing. Susan Van Kirk is a terrific example of someone whose past life as a distinguished educator has helped her develop the skills to become an accomplished mystery author. I’m so delighted to welcome Susan to my…
Many years ago, when I was going through a painful divorce, books became my lifeline. Especially on the weekends when my little boy was visiting his dad, I’d bring home a pile of books from the library and lose myself in a novel (or two) to stave off my sadness and my loneliness. It was…
Full disclosure: Carol Preflatish and I are active members of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. When I first met Carol, she told me she adored Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series. I immediately knew that we had something special in common! I’m so delighted to feature Carol on…
Many writers enjoy penning short fiction, but I don ‘t know many who single-handedly create and edit anthologies. Judy Penz Sheluk has taken on this role not once but four times! This month, she celebrates the release of her fourth anthology, Larceny & Last Chances. I loved learning more about what inspired her latest anthology,…
With musicians and music lovers on both sides of my family, I feel enormously grateful that musicality was a quality that I apparently inherited. I have always felt deeply and passionately about music, and my musicality benefited me greatly during my years as a professional dancer. And now that my dancing days are behind me,…