The Bay at Midnight Bungalow
My dogsitter was up in New Jersey and took a side trip to see my old family bungalow, the setting in THE BAY AT MIDNIGHT. She was sweet enough to take pictures for me. As my sister said when I emailed her the pictures: “it makes me both happy and sad.” The bungalow and canal…
Read MoreThe Writers' Strike
I’m going to miss my favorite TV shows as much as the next person, but I support the writers’ strike. Why? Because I’m a writer and the same issues that affect screenwriters also affect–or will in the near future–all writers. If you’re interested in understanding what the screenwriters are fighting for, this simple YouTube video…
Read MoreWIP: I Want to be a Pantser in my Next Life
If you’re not a novelist, I bet the subject heading looks like Greek to you! Those who’ve read my blog for a while know that WIP means Work-in-Progress, but what is a Pantser? Novelists fall into two general camps: Pantsers and Plotters. Pantsers write “by the seat of their pants.” They avoid outlines and anything…
Read MoreInside the Mind of a Fiction Writer
We just got back from a quick trip to Baltimore. Here’s a look inside my imaginative (others might say “sick”) mind: -the man riding in the hotel elevator with us was on his way up to meet his illicit lover for a tryst -The body of a suicidal woman dropped past our hotel room window while…
Read MoreThe Beach
I finally made it out to the beach this morning. Weather wasn’t the best, but it felt so good to get out of my little writing cubby here in our room. I hobbled around for about an hour and it was exactly what I needed to refill the well. I can’t believe that this is…
Read MoreIn the Outer Banks
John’s teaching a photography workshop here with a couple of other photographers, and as you can imagine, I wasn’t going to let a chance at a few days in the Outer Banks pass me by! It’s pouring rain, but the photography students appear undaunted as they learn to make use of any available light. And…
Read MoreThank You, Ellen Goodman
A few weeks ago, I had dinner with a friend who is exactly my age and is a teacher. We talked about ageism in the workplace, and she said she is very careful not to reveal her age because she might then be perceived negatively by her coworkers, not to mention her students. I’m 57 1/2 and…
Read MoreThe Netflix War
Is this war going on at your house, too? I love Netflix! As my faithful blog readers know, I love storytelling of all kinds and am as addicted to movies as I am to books. John is even more addicted, if that’s possible. In case you don’t know, through Netflix you can rent one or…
Read MoreThe Read-Aloud
For the past two days, I’ve been reading the revised manuscript of BEFORE THE STORM aloud. Author/friend Emilie Richards started me doing this long ago, and it’s the best way to catch errors, really hear the rhythm of the words . . . and satisfy my life-long yearning to be an actress. Of course, it…
Read MoreCheck it Out!
What do you think?? I love it. Still a long time until this will be in the bookstores, but publishers come up with covers early (usually) so the sales force has them on time. Often there are some small (again, usually) changes between this version and the final, but I’m delighted. The house in my…
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