I played hooky from Southern Exposure two weeks ago. It was a time of now and then. Let me explain. Now and Then in Real Life Now: We drove to Pensacola where my husband performed a small, private ceremony outdoors near the beach for our lovely niece and new husband. Then: On arrival, memories of the…

Last week I talked about taking time off this summer, probably the most I’ve taken off in all my years as a writer. I expected to accomplish a lot, and found that one of the main things I did accomplish was to get some rest. I managed to waste a lot of time feeling guilty…

One of the things I learned early in my career was to make sure I left time between books for renewal. Slipping back into normal “no-deadline” life means cooking and cleaning, going out with friends, and this week, having my youngest son and his family, complete with my two young grandsons–here to enjoy our Florida sunshine…

I love anniversaries. I love them because sometimes I’m absolutely amazed that I have actually made it to a certain date in my life.  Wedding anniversaries mean that I kept on truckin’ through the bad times as well as the good–not that “keeping on” is always a good thing, mind you.   My husband and I…

Today I’m giving my blog over to Proman who feels he has something to say. Proman is short for “project manager” which is just one of the roles my beloved husband fulfills in our house. What do you think? Did I make a mistake? 

Have you ever looked up and seen the end of an era descending with such speed and force that there’s no way to move out of the way? In the publishing world editors come and go. Publishing doesn’t pay well, and New York, where many publishers reside, is notoriously expensive. Writers like to trade stories about…

Just a quick heads-up. I’m nearly finished editing my latest book, When We Were Sisters. I hoped to blog today, but the book keeps calling. So tune in next week and I’ll be back. I’m planning to tell you all about this final stage of writing a novel. If I survive it. For those of…

I’m home from the Novelists INC conference in St. Petersburg, Florida at the Tradewinds Resort after a jam-packed four days of workshops, conversations and panels. Wow. My head is still spinning. So much energy, so much I still don’t know. Everything in publishing is changing at the speed of light, and it’s difficult, if not impossible,…

Today I’m vaulting back in time to 1984 and my very first writers conference in Manhattan. At the time I’d sold my first book, but it hadn’t yet been published.  I was such a newbie. What was I doing at this conference with people like Mary Higgins Clark and Lawrence Block? Me, who wasn’t sure…