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Hey!
When did people start using the word “hey” instead of “hi”? I remember when I first heard this word used in casual greeting. I was researching my fourth novel, Keeper of the Light, in the early ’90s and contacted the woman who was heading up the renovation of the keeper’s house at the Currituck Beach Lighthouse in…
Read MoreThe Synline? Outopsis?
Whatever you want to call it, it’s finished! In the last post, my usual optimism was showing when I said I’d finish the synopsis on Saturday and rest on Sunday, but here it is Monday and I just zipped it off to my agent a couple of hours ago. It’s long. When people ask me how…
Read MoreCreating A Story, Cont'd: Are We There Yet?
Those of you’ve who’ve been following the synopsis saga are surely asking yourselves what’s taking so long. It’s a slow process, for sure, but I’m closing in on the finish line. I’ll wrap it up this weekend, without a doubt. The past couple of days, I’ve been making a list (in prose form) of certain scenes…
Read MoreFrom a Not-So-Simple Guy in Denmark
Every once in a while, I’m particularly touched by an email I receive and want to share it with my readers (with the emailer’s permission, of course). Today, I received the following email, touching because it comes from Denmark and it always warms my heart to hear from readers around the world, but even more…
Read MoreCreating a Story, Cont'd: Suspense
After taking a break for the election and to talk about my cute new UK cover, I’m following up on my recent posts about creating a story. You may recall that I hadn’t quite finished the synopsis for my next book while in the Outer Banks. Once I got home, I whipped through to…
Read MoreJudging a Book by its Cover
I received an email from my publisher in the United Kingdom, where they’re getting ready to publish The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes under the title The Lost Daughter. In her email, the editor said she was attaching a picture of the new cover, and I thought, Oh no! Why are they changing CeeCee’s cover…
Read MoreA New Day
I never thought I’d see this day, and I’m filled with hope for the future.
Read MoreVote! Especially you Eighteen-Year-Olds
I’ve nearly finished my synopsis, but I need to take a minute to urge everyone to get to the polls Tuesday, especially you 18-21 year olds, because my generation fought hard to get you the vote and I’d really love it if you’d exercise that right. We hear often about women getting the right to vote in…
Read MoreCreating a Story: Day 3
I’m sitting cramped in a corner of the library at the First Colony Inn in Nags Head, where all the photographers at John’s workshop are buzzing around me, working on their images. We’ve already checked out of our room, thus the reason I’m in the library. Not sure how much more work I’ll be able…
Read MoreCreating a Story: Day 2
I’m off to breakfast, but wanted to quickly catch you up on the second day of creating a story. Here’s what I did: I changed my mind about a couple of the Points of View, settling for now on four women, three of them thirty-nine/forty and one eighteen. I finished the character sketches. I named…
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