Archive for May 2010
The Problems With New: How Adventurous Are You?
How adventurous are you? On a scale of one to ten now, and remember, no one will know what you’ve decided. Do you like challenges? Are you happiest when you’re doing something you’ve never done before? Do you get bored easily doing the same old, same old? Then think of yourself as a ten, just a…
Read MoreReviewing and Chewing: The Real Joys of Book Clubs
The moment I heard that the Ashford Court Readers Group in Strongsville, Ohio was not only going to discuss Happiness Key, they were going to make food appropriate to my novel to enjoy together, I wanted to jump on a plane and join them. This is my kind of book club. Food and books. Can…
Read MoreThe Write Way: One Idea and a Million Stories–Which One Will You Tell?
“Pssst. . . I have a great idea for a story, but I don’t have time to write it. I’ll tell you what it is and we can split the royalties.” You think I’m kidding? I’m not. Every novelist has heard this offer. Sometimes in the dentist’s chair, sometimes at a party, sometimes from a…
Read MoreScrapping Her Way To a New Career–Joanna Campbell Slan, Mystery Author
I love interviewing authors, but let’s face it, authors are some of my very favorite people. Several years ago I went to a terrific writer’s conference in West Virginia and made two good friends. Today you’ll get to meet one of them, Joanna Campbell Slan, who since that conference has gone on to publish a brand…
Read MoreMothers In Law and In Our Hearts
I’ll confess these days I wince when I hear mother-in-law jokes. I wince because I am a mother-in-law times three. I have three wonderful in-law kids, and our family is enriched three-fold by their addition. I’m hoping to be a completely different kind of punchline at the end of my life. As goals go, that’s…
Read MoreChristmas in Springtime: The Seasons of Grace Quilt and Other Gifts
More than a year ago, quilt and fabric designer Pat Sloan and I began a block of the month project based on a quilt mentioned in Sister’s Choice, the fifth book in my Shenandoah Album series. This month we’re pleased to say we have just posted the final pattern of the series, the layout(s), cutting, and…
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