When We Were Sisters: Anatomy of a Book Cover
Pssst. . . Publishers and authors don’t always agree on book covers. You’re not surprised, are you? As a reader you may even have strong feelings about a book cover in your collection. Maybe you have a preference for an icon cover (an object that relates to the book, like a pearl necklace or a Japanese lantern.) A…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Romance and Love
I’ve been thinking about romance lately. Not surprising for a writer of women’s fiction. Actually, I wrote 50 romance novels before moving into a broader genre with more options for character development and plot. But you may notice that romantic relationships are always at the heart of my novels because nothing is more important to…
Read MoreWriting Process 2015: What I Learned
I remember saying not too long ago that I was finished with my Writing Process 2015 posts, because, hey, it’s 2016. What I didn’t take into account? The book I wrote in 2015, the one I detailed in all those posts, will be at bookstores on June 1, 2016. So while the year has changed, When We Were…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Sexy Men?
Of course, they could have asked us, and we could have told them. Now all they have to do is read the latest study revealing that what women find most sexy about a man is … kindness. Yes, good looks do help, but when put side by side, kindness, compassion, and altruism are the clear winners…
Read MoreKiBITz and Pieces
Okay, did you notice I forgot to blog last Wednesday? Wait, don’t tell me. Some things are better left unsaid. The Explanation Bit: Quite honestly I didn’t realize that I hadn’t blogged until Thursday afternoon when I was exploring architectural salvage warehouses with friends and putting lots of steps on my FitBIT. I spent Tuesday…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: A Daring Adventure
Just to be alive is an adventure, but shouldn’t life be more than that, shouldn’t it be a daring adventure? Many of us thought about Helen Keller and her inspiring story this week when we learned that actress Patty Duke had died. Remember The Miracle Worker? Remember watching the movie or perhaps the play and…
Read MoreSunday 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…
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