Archive for December 2009
The Pledge: Where Did Day Four Go?
I truly don’t know what happened to today. I got up early with great plans, but one thing led to another and the day disappeared with only two pages in the can. I accomplished non-writing things, but that wasn’t part of the pledge, was it? And tomorrow we leave, so I doubt I’ll get much…
Read MoreThe Pledge: Day Three's a Winner
Tonight’s picture: a threesome for day three. An anchor, a lighthouse, and a swordfish. So much fun to drive through the island and see the lights! I woke up this morning feeling great! The bed here is like a slab of granite, but we put 2 inches of memory foam on top and what a difference. I’m a…
Read MoreThe Pledge: Back Slidin' on Day Two
Well, I woke up today with a small health crisis. Not a big deal, but big enough that it couldn’t wait until I get home, so I spent the morning searching for a clinic where I could be seen and remembering why, although I adore being far away from home on an island, there’s a lot…
Read MoreThe Pledge: Writing in Snippets on Day One
Twelve pages today, plus two walks on the beach, a shopping spree to the dollar store, shrimp and grits for dinner at Sears Landing and now we’re watching a movie and eating French Silk ice cream. All in all an excellent day. One thing that helped me tremendously today was a little trick I recently…
Read MoreA Pledge to Myself
December has been a fascinating month–so fascinating that I’ve gotten almost no writing accomplished. I had some health challenges, followed by fairly minor-ish surgery, followed by some more health stuff, all of which resolved beautifully and I am well, or as well as someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis can be. Then the holiday preparations hit. The…
Read MoreGreetings of the Season to my Readers!
Happy Holidays! I want to take this opportunity to thank you, my readers, for bringing me such joy this year. Every writer’s dream is to reach people with his or her words, and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that throughout my career, but this year has felt particularly special. I’ve loved hearing from you on…
Read MoreBooks We Loved in 2009
Time for a year-end wrap up of the stories that touched us most in 2009. I’ll start, and then I’d love to hear about your favorites. With the exception of The Help, these are not in any particular order. The Help by Kathryn Stockett: Sometimes you simply want to thank an author for writing a…
Read MoreThe Bay in the UK
There’s a new interview with me up at http://mayhemandmagic2.blogspot.com/ Enjoy! The Bay at Midnight just came out in the UK. I love the cover they gave it, even though it doesn’t quite fit the book. The youngest child in Bay is Julie, who’s 12, and this little girl looks younger, but I think the innocence portrayed on the cover…
Read MoreShh…
Here’s something most people don’t know about me: I had selective mutism from elementary school until graduate school. What’s selective mutism? It’s an anxiety disorder in which a child or adolescent who is capable of speech doesn’t speak in certain situations. I’ll get back to my own experience in a minute, but first let me tell you how…
Read MoreBrainwashed
One of my favorite ways of coming up with book ideas is to stroll through the stacks at the library and see what books jump out at me. Years ago, a book that caught my eye was Gordon Thomas’s Journey into Madness. As a former therapist, how could I resist pulling that book from the…
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