Well, I’ve put this off as long as I could. For a number of years before the new drugs were discovered, I had to take prednisone for RA. Prednisone is one of those mixed blessing drugs. It works miracles, but with a price. My price is cataracts. Over the past year, they’ve gotten much worse,…

Yeah, it’s about time! I’ve updated a few things on the website, including adding a more prominent link from the blog to the site (look to the right–> ) I know some of you will be happy to learn that I’m making more of my older titles available to purchase from my private stash (Check the blue box…

                    This morning, I went out to get the paper and saw the deer I call Andy (not the fawn above) in the ravine next to my house, so I got my camera. I’ve been wanting to take a picture of this guy who has destroyed every…

I have so many tasks on my plate now that I’ve turned in my book that I barely know where to start. First, I would truly like to muck out my office. What a mess. I’m sure I have bills and other important papers under the piles that litter every surface. This really must be done,…

I don’t think anyone can take a trip–of any length, to any locale–and come home unchanged in some way. My week at the beach was no exception, and I thought I’d share some of the things I learned. –I packed a huge carry-all full of books, fresh notepads, and stacks of Publishers Weekly magazines, fully…

                          BEFORE THE STORM is done! I tightened the last scene on Sunday and emailed it (105,000 words, 406 manuscript pages) to my editor and agent. Now I wait for their thoughts on revisions. Meanwhile, it’s vacation time! Woo hoo! Actual relaxation. We’re having such a…

                            Wow, I just received the cover flats for the trade paperback edition of THE SECRET LIFE OF CEECEE WILKES and I love the cover! Love the red hair against the blues, and the sense of a dynamic story. Although the hardcover…

Every author does it–overuses particular words. I have a few words and phrases I tend to use too much: Wince. Struggle. Darkness. Sort of. Editorial consultant Pat Holt calls them “crutch words,” words that slip past editors but drive readers batty. I’ve had friends who read early drafts of my books complain about some of…

I took a short break from my Work-in-Progress today because I needed to buy a gift for a baby shower . . . as well as the first bathing suit I’ve purchased in well over a decade. June 30th we leave for the beach. The WIP will be done by then. Usually when I go to…

And with only eleven days until deadline, it better be! When you’re working on a massive project like a 125,000 novel, it’s so hard to see the whole. Today, I took a step back and really looked at it as a “book” instead of one little scene after another, and I felt such relief! It’s…