The Writing Life
Malice Domestic: A Wonderful Celebration for Mystery Fans and Authors
I’ve been so crazed writing articles in connection with the upcoming May 18 release of DEATH IN THE END ZONE that I’ve barely had a moment to reflect on my experience attending Malice Domestic at the end of last month. But being a part of this special weekend was genuinely an uplifting experience! For those…
Read MoreAn Embarrassment of Riches
I’ve always felt extremely fortunate if I have a newly released novel every year or two. But quite by accident, by mid-May, I will have three book releases within the space of three months. I only write one book at a time, and all three were written at different times. But publishing calendars occasionally mean…
Read MoreExcited (and Nervous!) About the Writing Year Ahead
Recently, my award-winning author friend Marilyn Levinson announced she had not one but eight books coming out that year. I was astonished and incredibly impressed! I knew my prolific friend wrote both for young people and adults, but eight books? She explained that several had gone out of print and were being republished—but still! I…
Read MoreHow 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 MoreFun Quotes About Writing
I’ve always believed that writing is risk-taking behavior. We reveal so much of who we are and what we care about when we write. Approaching our daily work as writers with humor somehow makes it all less scary. Over the years, I’ve collected a few of my favorite fun quotes about writing. Here are…
Read MoreFeeling Grateful
We’ve all had those days and weeks as writers when nothing seems to go well. We get a slew of back-to-back rejections, our critique group is less than thrilled with our latest submission, and our work-in-progress is, well…stalling. Only that pesty compulsion to write keeps us going. Fortunately, there are other weeks when lots of…
Read MoreChatGPT: A Scammer’s Delight
A few weeks ago, slickly written, effusive pitches from “book marketing experts” began appearing with astonishing regularity in my inbox. Here’s a sample opening of one: Hello Lynn, What struck me most in Missing Mom is how you turned your own experience of loss into a novel that doesn’t just entertain but speaks directly to the ache…
Read MoreI Don’t Really Write Much Short Fiction, But…
I always tell folks that I rarely write short fiction. For whatever reason, my ideas seem to come in novel length, like MISSING MOM, which I’m excited to share won the 2025 Readers’ Favorite Bronze Award in the YA mystery category. But last month, I was invited…
Read MoreWriting When I’m Not Writing
I holed up in my home office yesterday to work on a short story to submit to Malice Domestic’s upcoming anthology. Those of you who know me are aware that I write novels and only rarely dip my toes into short stories. Truthfully, I’m in awe of short fiction writers who can pack so much…
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…
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