The Writing Life
Unplugged
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 MoreI Never Could Have Been a Fuller Brush Salesman
Being older than dirt, I actually remember enterprising door-to-door salesmen pushing vacuum cleaners and encyclopedias. They were invariably cheerful and perseverant folks who brushed off the inevitable “no thanks” they got along the way to making a sale. All I can say is I would have made a terrible salesperson. Take the other day, for…
Read MoreTaming My Judgmental Tendencies
As any writer who traditionally publishes can tell you, the hardest thing to do is to wait… and wait… and wait some more for news about whether any of the publishers or agents you’ve queried accepts your submission. Recently I had a particularly frustrating experience with the founder and chief acquisition editor of a small…
Read MoreSwimming In the Dark
I was on a panel about mystery writing at a conference last summer when one of my fellow authors announced, “The only way to make money writing mysteries is to write a series.” I laughed and said, “Now I know what the problem is with my bank account!” I write “standalone” novels and create new…
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 MoreTyping “The End” of a First Draft
Late Thursday afternoon, I typed “The End” on my first draft of my work-in-progress, tentatively called Missing Mom. To tell you a little about what has preoccupied me all these months, the novel centers around Noelle, a rising high school senior and aspiring ballet dancer whose mom suddenly vanishes. While the circumstantial evidence points to…
Read MoreWriting With My Students Inspires Me
During the years I taught English composition at a local university, I frequently gave my students writing prompts. The prompts were never about grades or finished products. They were all about getting creative juices going and developing the habit of writing. Wanting to model the value of writing practice, I always worked on the prompts…
Read MoreCelebrating a New Release! And a Special Culinary Gift for Mystery Fans
I’m so excited to share that my first mystery for adults, MISSED CUE, comes out today, August 8th, from Melange Books. I’d love for you to check it out! Here’s a brief description: When ballerina Lydia Miseau dies onstage in the final dress rehearsal of Romeo and Juliet, homicide detective Caitlin O’Connor is faced with…
Read MoreValerie Jarrett Was Right
Valerie Jarrett, a close confidante and senior advisor to President Obama, once said in a commencement address, “You can have it all, but not all at once.” Recently, those words resonated with me when the director of the public speaking program at a local university where I’d taught part-time reached out to me. Would I…
Read MoreMISSED CUE, The Book I Hadn’t Intended to Write
This morning, pre-orders became available for the e-book of my forthcoming mystery, MISSED CUE, with the official release happening on August 8th. I’m excited and thrilled that Melange Books took a chance on my fifth novel, my first written for adults. I’m also a bit stunned that this is happening because this is a book…
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