Uncategorized
Bad 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…
Read MoreJenny Adams Releases Her Debut Historical Mystery, A DEADLY ENDEAVOR
Throughout my life, I’ve especially admired and been inspired by folks who are librarians, and those who are authors. Jenny Adams is both, so it is a special pleasure to interview her about the debut release of A DEADLY ENDEAVOR. Below are her responses to my interview questions, followed by her bio and contact/buy links:…
Read MoreThe Joy of Making a Difference
A college professor I had years ago pointed out that there was no such thing as pure altruism or purely altruistic folks. “What about Mother Theresa?” I asked. “She enjoyed the appreciation and adulation of millions for her sacrificial behavior, not to mention the comfort of feeling she was doing God’s work,” he replied. I’m…
Read MoreThinking About New Year’s Resolutions
When I asked my husband about whether he ever made New Year’s resolutions, he said, “Absolutely. I have one resolution, which is to never make any.” I laughed and decided he had a point. Resolutions feel great at the time you’re making them, but they can be a lot tougher to keep. Life and our…
Read MoreMore Confessions by An Anxious Writer
I can’t decide which makes me feel more anxious—receiving accolades for my work, or heavy doses of rejection and harsh criticism. I was reminded of my ability to make myself miserable either way this past week. In the accolades department, I learned that my novel, DEADLY SETUP, received the NYC Book Big Award in the…
Read MoreCathi Stoler Pens Delightful Fourth Novel in her On the Rocks Mystery Series
Having just returned from New York City, a place I love dearly, it’s a special treat to welcome mystery author Cathi Stoler to my blog, who has set her On the Rocks Mystery Series mainly in a restaurant on New York’s Lower East Side. Below, Cathi talks about her series and writing journey and offers…
Read MoreA Conversation with Award-winning Author Lynda Rees, “the Murder Guru”
As many of you know, I’m an active member and former president of Derby Rotten Scoundrels, the Ohio River Valley chapter of Sisters in Crime. One of our outstanding members is Lynda Rees, multi-award winning author of romantic mystery and suspense. In today’s interview, Lynda talks about her background, her latest two launches, and other…
Read More