Archive for March 2016
Sunday Inspiration: The Messiah Is One of You
Happy Easter to all of you. A favorite Easter story for me is “The Rabbi’s Gift” by M. Scott Peck. A monastery is dying, it’s five monks aging and dispirited, the buildings falling into disrepair, the grounds overgrown and unappealing, when a rabbi from a nearby hermitage shows up. When the abbot asks the rabbi…
Read MoreWhat’s In A Name?
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) So what’s in a name and why does it matter to a novelist? Remember that third grade substitute teacher who pronounced yours incorrectly? Or how about the playground bully who always called you Bucky…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: When did you stop singing?
“In many shamantic societies, if you came to a medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions: ‘When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop being comforted by the sweet territory of silence?’”…
Read MoreWhat Readers Think: My Interview with Nancy Lepri
I am always interested in what readers think about my books but also books in general. What appeals and what doesn’t? What matters in a novel? What makes a book a wall-banger? What makes it a keeper? I asked some of my most loyal readers, my Krewe of Review, what they thought about conducting reader interviews…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: The Color of Light, Traffic Cops and Fairy Godmothers
I must have the best job in the world. As exasperating as publishing can be, I am always aware how lucky I am to be able to pursue everything that interests me and spend months exploring, probing and recounting what I learn along the way. But few books required as much reflection as The Color of…
Read MoreBook Giveaways. What’s the Point?
“But you’re too generous,” a reader says in an email about my latest book giveaways. “Why give away what readers should buy?” To understand my fascination with book giveaways let me show you just one of my closets. There’s another in my study that’s worse. Then there’s a tall queen bed with boxes of books…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: The World Is Our Teacher
**With thanks to Michael, Emilie’s husband and UU minister, for today’s Sunday Inspiration. I saw this quote a couple of weeks ago, and it stuck in my head. I can’t remember where I saw it or even who said it. But the words are so wise. Yes, the world is our teacher — IF we…
Read MoreFour Books At Once: Multitasking Ain’t For Sissies
This has been an odd week in an odd profession. Every day I’ve been frantically multitasking, and my desk shows it. (Don’t worry, the next line on my ridiculous to-do list says “For heaven’s sake clean off your desk!”) Four different books are the culprits. First there’s From Glowing Embers. From Glowing Embers is now free for readers…
Read More