Lists: Forever and Always
Remember lists? It’s time for a new entry. Read about my list posts here, then comment and add your own thought. At the end of the month Random.org will choose a winner from everyone who added to any April list to receive an autographed novel. Remember, please stay away from politics, religion and general snarkiness,…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: That Special Undiscovered Something
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. I’ll confess I’ve spent a lot of time the past weeks discarding things I’ve held on to for years. Clothes. Books. Manuscripts. The list goes on and on. You know you have the makings…
Read MoreIndependent Book Blogger Awards
A reader and friend saw this on Twitter and suggested I enter Southern Exposure to win an Independent BookBlogger Award from Goodreads and the Association of American Publishers. While that would be lovely, the real fun was looking back over some of my previous blogs and trying to figure out which ones to use as…
Read MoreHoly Helping Hand, Batman!
I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about the ways we help each other. One Mountain Away, coming in August, explores that question among many others, and it will come up again and again as the series progresses. Do we give money? Do we bring casseroles? Do we hold hands and provide a listening…
Read MoreSniffing Out A Story (Again)
In the spirit of recycling, something I’m getting quite adept at as I get ready to move, today I’m recycling a blog from September 2010 about my silly beagle Nemo. I’m pleased to tell you that Nemo is, of course, still with us and every bit as neurotic as I paint him in the following…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: To See the Cherry Hung with Snow
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. This is probably our last spring as residents of the Washington DC area, and I’ll confess that I’ll miss this season the most. Spring in DC is a parade of blossoms, but this year,…
Read MoreLists: Packing for Life
I love to fantasize. You probably knew that. Last night when I should have been sleeping I began making a list of everything I ought to pack on two upcoming trips. Honestly, who cares? But I did, at about 2 AM. Then as I began to make my list, I thought of you. What fun…
Read MoreThe Day I Fell For Horatio Alger or My Introduction to the Study of Popular Culture
Somewhere during the first trimester of my sophomore year in college, I realized I was signed up for the wrong major. I was in music education, and observing just one high school music class was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. Me, standing in front of those kids? Trying to teach them…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: A Crocus Shooting Up A Purple Hand
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. It’s March, and while much of the United States has seen unseasonably warm weather, we’re still hoping and waiting for spring to emphatically arrive, no maybe yes and maybe no, but right here at…
Read MoreChoosing Asheville
Do you ever wonder how a novelist chooses a setting? Me, too. Really. Because the entire world is open to us, and sometimes all those choices can be daunting. When the time came two years ago to begin planning a new series, I had all the usual options. Should I use a real town (like…
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