Posts Tagged ‘John Pagliuca’
My Newest Fan
This is Maddie. Short for Madison. Madison belongs to Angie, the receptionist at my rheumatologist’s office. Angie likes my books, but she had no idea that Maddie shared her ‘taste’. Maddie’s a speed eater, devouring The Bay at Midnight in one sitting, just like my most faithful readers. Angie asked me to sign what remains of…
Read MoreAnd Then There were Five
Second full day on Tybee Island. 6 pages so far toward my daily goal of 10. Margaret snapped this pic of me happily typing away. One of my characters whom I pictured staid and reserved and very serious, turns out to be irreverent and a little kooky. I’m glad she didn’t wait any longer to let me…
Read MoreThe Reveal
Time for the reveal! We’ve had so much fun working with our friend Elizabeth as we remodeled our Topsail Island condo. The before and after pics don’t match up perfectly–this isn’t HGTV after all!–but you get the idea. To start with, we painted the unit a buttery yellow, replaced the sofa and loveseat, painted the…
Read MoreThirty Years Ago. . .
About thirty years ago, I was published for the first time. Not a novel, but an op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times. I was working as a hospital social worker at the time, and after a particularly moving encounter with a family in the ER, I took a break and wrote this fictionalized account…
Read MoreDe-Trite-Us
One of the worst crimes a writer can commit is to be predictable in his or her storyline and characters. This holds true even in genre fiction, where a certain formula is generally followed: In a romance, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl reunite forever. In a mystery, a crime occurs, there…
Read MoreThe Writers Walk the Plank
Ahoy Matey! Prepare for a curmudgeonly post! You know, I really don’t know how pirates came by their cute, fun, and harmless image. Little kids (boys, especially) seem to love all things pirate these days. Just check out the toy aisle of your local Target or WalMart. But there’s nothing cute about piracy. Not on…
Read MoreAll By Myself
People sometimes ask me how I deal with the isolation of writing. I’ve recently been in touch with a former co-worker from my days as a hospital social worker and communicating with her reminds me of what it was like to work with other people. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that! The…
Read MoreWhat's Your Quirk?
Today I was twice reminded that I have a quirk. This morning, I received a request to speak at an event and had to ask my standard question: “Can you describe the venue to me, please?” Here is my ideal venue in which to speak. It’s a large, low-ceilinged room, perhaps a meeting room or ballroom…
Read MoreResolution Time!
I’m a believer in resolutions. I don’t always keep them, but there’s something about that “fresh start feeling” that has great appeal to me. I have a slew of resolutions this year. Here goes: -Work at writing as though it’s a 9 to 5 job. This may sound like a no-brainer, especially to those of you…
Read MoreA Pledge to Myself
December has been a fascinating month–so fascinating that I’ve gotten almost no writing accomplished. I had some health challenges, followed by fairly minor-ish surgery, followed by some more health stuff, all of which resolved beautifully and I am well, or as well as someone with Rheumatoid Arthritis can be. Then the holiday preparations hit. The…
Read More