Hearing Voices: Point of View in Fiction Writing
The Midwife’s Confession is written from five different points of view, and I’m here to tell you, that was a challenge! Every one of my twenty novels has had multiple points of view, but never before have I had to balance five female voices in one story. Want to know the hardest part about multiple…
Read MoreI Want to Zipline! What's Your Fantasy Adventure?
Today’s paper had an article on all the places to zip line in North Carolina. I love anything that gets me up in the air, so the article really got me excited. I have a feeling I’ll never get to zip line, though. I’m not sure it’s the best activity for someone with funky joints,…
Read MoreStory Weekend Theme: High School
Our theme for this Story Weekend: High School. (I hope my international readers will help me with the correct term for “high school” in their countries). That’s my high school on the left in Plainfield, New Jersey, after it’s 1906 unveiling. Are you new to Story Weekend? No problem! Everyone is welcome. Here’s an opportunity to share a tiny snippet…
Read MoreWhere is your Third Place?
Remember the show Cheers? Every person had his own seat at the bar. Each of them drank the same drink every day. Norm walked in and everyone said in unison “Norm!” You knew these folks were in a place of comfort and camaraderie. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know I spend…
Read MoreThe Mistake So Many Self-Published Authors Make
I sat in the Opium Den this morning, studying the revision letter my editor sent me about my twenty-first novel, The Good Father, which will be published next spring. As usual, my editor had a bunch of suggestions and I could see that she was right on target on every point except one (and she…
Read MoreIt's Another Story Weekend!
This week’s theme: First Kiss. Are you new to Story Weekend? No problem! Everyone is welcome. Here’s an opportunity to share a tiny snippet of your life with my fellow blog readers. We’ve been having fun with it, but there are a few “rules”: The story must be true. Try to keep it under 100 words. That’s…
Read MoreThe Agony and Ecstacy of Synopsis Writing
Remember my new idea? The one that came to me so perfectly formed that I knew the book would write itself? Well, it may be true that the book will write itself, but the synopsis is another matter altogether. A good synopsis is incredibly important. Even if you’ve already written your book, you will still…
Read MoreHappy Fourth of July!
I hope you’re having as good a Fourth of July weekend as we are. We started out at the Roundabout Gallery on Friday night, where John was a featured artist with some of his Red, White and Blue work. Even though all the photos look very different because of the way John treated them, all the close-ups were…
Read MoreThe Wackiest Person You Know and Love–Story Weekend
We all have at least one of them in our lives–that person who marches to the beat of a different drummer but whom we love to pieces. Who’s the wackiest-but-lovable person in your life? If you’re new to Story Weekend, it’s an opportunity to share a tiny snippet of your life with my fellow blog readers.…
Read MoreWelcome Emilie Richards to the Blog
I’m delighted to welcome one of my best friends and fellow writers to my blog today. Emilie Richards is the author of over sixty (!) books. Emilie’s written everything from sagas to romances to mysteries to women’s fiction, but the one thing that always remains the same is the quality of her writing and her…
Read More