Emilie’s Books
My Hands are Tied
I love my email. First of all, most of it is positive. Overwhelmingly. Going to the computer every day to write a novel takes either a certain amount of ego or a complete absence of good sense. Often a positive email gives me the necessary ego boost to start work. Sometimes it blunts what good sense is left after…
Read MoreWhat Price Happiness?
The following made me smile. I hope it makes you smile, as well. I don’t know how this Amazon bookseller got a copy of a book that’s not yet in print. I don’t know why this bookseller thinks this particular copy is worth a thousand dollars–but, of course, as the author how can I dispute…
Read MoreAnd You Thought Research was Dull?
So, do you really believe novelists just make stuff up? After all, they call this fiction. We don’t know how it’s really done, so we fudge? Well, that would be the easy way out, but truth is, novelists HATE those letters you write us that point out Ash Wednesday and Easter do NOT occur…
Read MoreHappiness Blogs
What makes you happy? I mean really happy. The kind of happy when you can’t stop smiling, when tiny twittering bluebirds seem to have taken up residence inside you, when you lie awake at night and count your blessings instead of the things you forgot to do and aren’t sure you’ll have time for tomorrow. Happy!…
Read MoreFinding Your Voice
Never having owned a beagle, when people asked if puppy Nemo had found his voice, I found the question odd. Yes, Nemo growled, and barked–or something that passed for one. And sometimes, Nemo even howled. This last was charming, a serenade similar to the one our Australian Shepherd used to warble when he sang along at birthday parties. Then…
Read MoreA Real Book?
At what moment does a book become real to its author? Tonight, surfing the Internet, I saw my upcoming July book, Happiness Key, on Shelfari, the cover bright and sunny, smiling happily at me from my computer screen. I moved to Amazon, and there it was again. My baby. Soon for sale. Too cool.
Read MoreDreaming Large
A story begins with a dream. Not necessarily the kind that involves pajamas and firm mattresses, but the kind we all have, that waking moment when our minds go spinning into outer space imagining what could be instead of what is.
Read MoreAn “Endless Chain” of Events
Through the magic of the Internet, and the help of Marna, my valued assistant, you’re viewing this post when I’m not even home to send it. Instead I’m in Guatemala, on a church-sponsored trip dedicated to learning about the struggles of the Mayan people after the political turmoil and yes, deaths of thousands. You may have…
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