Wonders Down Under–Filmmaking in New Zealand

A movie set is a village, complete with solutions to all life’s pressing problems.  Places to eat, rest, clothe yourself, and, of course, a place where that most primal of needs, the telling of stories, comes to life in a very special way. We arrived in New Zealand in the morning, rested and showered then…

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Just In From New Zealand

 Yes, I made it!  This is me, after 24 hours in an airplane, watching the fourth book I ever wrote being made into a film for German television.  Stay tuned for updates from down under this week.

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Commercial Breaks and CatchUp

Are you in a book club?  So am I, and this week I wrote about mine for the Reading Group Guides blog.  You can read my entry right here.  Enjoy.  If you’re in a book club, I’d love to know what you’re reading this month, so please leave a comment if you’d like to share. …

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Can You Hear Me Now? Audio Books and Narrators

Imagine my joy last year when I discovered that the five novels in my Shenandoah Album series from Mira Books would be made into audio books.  At every event I attended, readers had asked for that format, and I knew that personally, nothing made me happier than quilting or walking Nemo while an audio book…

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In The Beginning–So Where on Earth Did that Novel Come From?

Ask any novelist what readers most often want to know about his/her work.  I can almost guarantee he or she will tell you, “Where do you get your ideas?”   Some authors–tired of this perfectly legitimate question–will answer “The idea store.”  “And don’t we all wish it were that easy?” they ask. I’m here to pass on…

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Parlez-vous français? If so, you’re in luck.

Contests, we have contests, we have lots and lots of contests. . . Before I launch into the newest one, let’s review. As always, if you sign up for my mailing list, you’re automatically entered in my monthly autographed book giveaway.  You never need to do another thing. Next you have until the end of September…

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The Kindness of Strangers

My husband is about to go on sabbatical.  This is one of the perks of his profession, a chance to study and think for months every so many years.  He’s done some wonderful things; we’ve done some wonderful things together, but I’ve always written while we’ve been away.  There are no sabbaticals for writers.  We…

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Conferences, Publishing, and MUCH shorter novels

So picture this.  Two thousand conference goers, editor and agent get togethers, two house guests, parties, booksignings, workshops, business meetings, a particularly noisy hotel and writers I hadn’t seen in years.  Add this up and you get . . . exhaustion! I just returned from the Romance Writers of America conference in Washington DC, and…

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