The Midwife has her Say

I turned in The Midwife’s Confession, my May 2011 book,  about a month ago and then waited a few weeks to hear what my editor thought about it. That’s always a nerve-wracking time.  A writer’s career is full of waiting to hear what other  people think — agents, editors, reviewers, and most importantly, readers. I…

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Do You Belong to a Book Club?

My neighborhood bookclub met at my house tonight. We meet every other month, which is a very civilized schedule. Sometimes we have “supper club” on the off months, when we get together with our spouses/sig others at one of our houses. It’s a diverse group in terms of age and a lot of fun. It’s…

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Secret Lives Makes a Comeback

The year was 1989 and I was about to be published for the first time. I was at the notoriously exciting Washington Romance Writers conference in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia where  I gave a workshop on Innovative Characterization Techniques, something I still teach, albeit with modifications. Back then, I identified myself as a psychotherapist and…

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Booksigning in Topsail

I had a long but fun day today. I drove three hours to Topsail Island for a signing, then three hours home. It was hard to be in one of my favorite places in the world and not be able to spend more time there, but I have too much to do here at home.…

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"Humanity in Orange Shirts"

The best part of being a published author is being able to reach readers far and wide with my stories. Every once in a while, I’m reminded of exactly how far and wide, and it’s always an eye-opener. With their permission, I’d like to share with you some communication I’ve had recently with a not-your-typical-bookclub.…

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Whirlwind at the BEA

I’ve spent the past two days in New York at the Book Expo, meeting the booksellers and librarians who sell (and read) my books. The BEA is absolutely wild, filled with your favorite authors giving away signed copies of their books by the boxload. It’s a wonderful way to alert booksellers to the books that are…

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The Lies We Told Launch Day!

Two sisters are very close . . . or are they? One of them dies . . . or does she? Her husband grieves with the surviving sister, and they grow very, very close. Exactly how close? And what the heck is really going on? This was the seedling of an idea that prompted the storyline…

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Finished! (And a First and Fifth Draft Comparison)

          I finished The Midwife’s Confession  yesterday and John and I are going to see Wicked this evening to celebrate. Yeah! The last month of writing a book is sheer torture; there seems to be no way around it. Every time, I tell myself I’ll figure out a way to prevent that last month from…

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Wordle Time!

I’ve completed draft four of  The Midwife’s Confession (well except for the epilogue), so it’s time to see how it looks on Wordle! Wordle helps me see what words I’ve overused. Of course the character names (and there are a lot of them!) are all over the place. Noelle, front and center, is the midwife.…

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