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How to Make a Writer’s (or Anyone Else’s) Day
Years ago, when I was a dance teacher, I made a point of saving the notes and cards I’d received from appreciative students. Whenever I was having a bad day, I’d get them out and re-read them. They were a definite pick-me-up! I loved feeling that I’d made a difference in my students’ lives. I’ve…
Read MoreFather’s Day Reflections: Sadness But Gratitude as Well
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…
Read MorePriming the Pump: The Value of Writing Prompts
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…
Read MoreMy Thankfuls (and My Unthankfuls)
I’ve often told the story of how when my sons were growing up, we used to pass the candle around the dinner table on Sunday nights and talk about what we felt thankful for. One Sunday, our younger son announced, “Let me just start with my un-thankfuls.” Of course, he was right. There are invariably…
Read MoreForty Novels and Still Counting! An Interview with Prolific Mystery Author Kassandra Lamb
I’m delighted to welcome Kassandra Lamb back to my blog today to celebrate a very special occasion, the release this month of her 40th novel, MALIGNANT MEMORIES. I’m amazed and inspired by her productivity! Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio/contact links and book descriptions/buy links: First off, congratulations on…
Read MoreNo Shortage of Novel Ideas (Or Tattoos): Meet Fantasy Author Shaelynn Long
One of the pleasures of featuring authors on my blog is meeting folks who write in entirely different genres than I do as a mystery author. Today I’m delighted to welcome fantasy writer Shaelynn Long. Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy links: Can you share with our…
Read MoreBad Examples Also Make Big Impressions
From an early age, I knew I wanted to teach. I adored my second-grade teacher. Her name was Gladys Louden. She was warm and kind and read out loud to us every day. My favorite was The Boxcar Children, and I attribute much of my lifelong love of reading to Miss Louden. I wanted to…
Read MoreThe Strange Thing About Writing
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…
Read MoreThe Value of Fiction in a Random World
Few things irk me more than pious pronouncements that whatever transpires must be “God’s will” or “God’s plan.” I invariably want to scream, “Are you kidding me?” Evidence abounds that painful and challenging things happen to people all the time that surely no loving God would allow, or worse, would have planned. Take my writing…
Read MoreUnplugged
I’ve always been fascinated by those personal experience pieces in which folks report that their lives have been rejuvenated by the simple act of unplugging their mobile phones. The idea of replacing endless texts, emails, and Facebook messages with face-to-face interactions, not to mention eliminating interruptions while writing, is so appealing to me. The problem…
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