Writing
Throwing in the Towel on Scrivener
Look at the top of my dining room table. It’s so beautiful, I could kiss it. It looks like home to me, and I’ve been homesick. You might remember back in October when I was teaching myself how to use the writing software, Scrivener. I was so enthusiastic. Many of my writing friends use Scrivener to…
Read MoreEnter the GoodReads Contest for a copy of The Good Father
Hop over to The Good Father’s page on Goodreads, scroll one quarter of the way down the page, and enter the contest to win one of ten advanced copies of my next book! While you’re there, read some of the early reader reviews. I’m thrilled with the reception this book is getting so far. The…
Read MoreBut How Will 21st Century Authors Autograph Their Books?
So cursive is on the way out. Starting next year, North Carolina teachers will no longer have to teach cursive and this change is happening all around the country. Some North Carolina school districts may still teach cursive, but they won’t be required to do so. I think this is fine. Let’s face it. Keyboarding…
Read MoreSneak Peek at the United Kingdom Cover for The Good Father
Quite a different look from the North American cover. I like them both. I love Bella, the little four-year-old waif in The Good Father, and I love her little wings. I’ve already seen some wonderful early reviews of this book by my fantabulous UK readers. I can’t wait till the end of May when The…
Read MoreDo You Have a Favorite Indie Bookstore?
I’m lucky to be surrounded by talented writers here in North Carolina and to count so many of them as my friends. I’d like you to meet one of them, Anne Clinard Barnhill. Anne writes historical fiction and her latest novel is At the Mercy of the Queen, the story of Anne Boleyn’s cousin, Madge. I…
Read MoreWe Need a Few Good Movie Stars
One of my Facebook friends, Stephanie, asked me what actors I’d like to see play my characters in the movie versions of my books. I hasten to add there are no movie versions planned at the moment, but we can fantasize, can’t we? I’d love to know who you think should play some of the…
Read MoreMy Favorite Reads of 2011
Each year, I like to share my favorite reads from the last 12 months. As I looked over the books I read in 2011, two things stood out to me: 1) much of my recent reading has been nonfiction as I research the time and place of my work-in-progress, and 2) I started quite a…
Read MoreDo You Read the Last Page First?
A friend called the other day. I hadn’t spoken to him in a couple of months and I knew he and his family were going through some difficult times. He wanted to catch me up, telling me “so much has happened since I talked to you last.” (I really did receive this call, but I’m…
Read MoreLet's Have a Worry-Free Week
All right, I will settle for a semi-worry-free week. I spend too much time worrying about things. One of my main worries is always the book I’m working on. Will I meet my deadline? Will it please my readers? Will the reviews be good? Will it make any bestseller lists? Etcetera, etcetera. I was thinking…
Read MoreVisit my Photo Gallery!
As part of my new website design, I’ve updated my photo gallery. Here’s one of my favorite pictures. You can see why I used to be able to dress up as Yoko Ono for Halloween, can’t you? I got a super big kick out of all the comments for Story Weekend this time, which is…
Read More