Posts about writing and publishing.
Did you know it was National Adoption Month? Me, neither. You’d think I would know. I think about adoption. A lot. In fact, I recently realized that all of the novels I’m writing as well as the one already published (Moonlight Dancer) relate to adoption. My family has been impacted by adoption, but long before that I was drawn to the world of the orphan. I blame it on Shirley Temple. Growing up, I watched Shirley Temple movies every Sunday…
Giveaway: Kindle Paperwhite! In honor of my favorite time of year when orange leaves tumble to the ground and ghosts drift in and out of darkened doorways, I’m offering a gift of a Kindle Paperwhite to one lucky winner. That way you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite ghost novels all year long! Open to US residents 18 or over. Enter to win and good luck to all! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Revenge on the 1-star Reviewer Today I’m feeling inspired by Tinney Heath over at Historical Fiction Research. Tinney has put together a funny put-down of the infamous evil book reviewer. Readers suffer from misleading, dishonest reviews, and as writers we live beneath the Damocles sword of unfair ratings. A 1-star review delivers a crushing blow to the delicate psyche of writers, yet there are those who revel in dealing this pain. We call them trolls (yes, it’s a technical term). As long…
Damascena by Holly Lynn Payne Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with author Holly Lynn Payne to talk about the writing process and her latest novel Damascena. Here is what one critic had to say about Damascena: “This is one of the most gorgeous novels I’ve ever read. Payne’s research was so thorough. It makes me want to learn more about the dervishes, their religious practices, and about Rumi and his achingly beautiful poetry. The themes of forgiveness,…
On Seizing Serendipity Today I’m a guest at a wonderful site called Historical Fiction Research. I highly recommend Tinney’s site for readers and writers who like to take in that behind-the-scenes view of history and historical fiction writing. Please visit me here. I’ll be discussing the unexpected role of serendipity (yes, I know, serendipity is by its nature unexpected) in the process of research and writing. Please join me over at Historical Fiction Research as I relate how serendipity played into…
Today I’d like to welcome author Marsha A. Moore, author of Shadows of Serenity. It’s a treat to sit down with someone else who gets my ghost novel obsession. Thank you, Marsha, for joining in a discussion of your novel! Can you tell us a little about Shadows of Serenity? Joyce Runsey spends her life savings to open a yoga studio in an historic Victorian St Augustine house, only to discover the property is haunted. A female ghost’s abusive and very…
Guest post and giveaway! This week you’ll find me at Historical Fiction Obsession where Kimberly has been kind enough to host yours truly. Please check out Kimberly’s site here, read an excerpt of Moonlight Dancer, and register to win ebooks and coffee mugs. If you love historical fiction, you’ll want to visit Historical Fiction Obsession often to connect with authors, find out about books, and win cool things! Okay, I’ll see you over there…
My first foray at the Armchair BEA conference has ended. It’s such a wonderful event that I only wish I had learned of it sooner. Mostly, I really enjoyed connecting with people and thinking and writing about my favorite obsession. Books. Now it’s time to announce the results of the drawing for my little giveaway. And the winners are: $20 Amazon gift card goes to Allison. Moonlight Dancer mug and postcard to Emma and Tanya. Moonlight Dancer ebook to…
Here’s today’s discussion prompt from the folks at Armchair BEA: Middle Grade/Young Adult Our final genre of discussion is one that we know is a popular one these days: books for the younger crowd, from middle grade to young adult. If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to…
Good morning! (because yes, on the west coast, it is still morning). Today, I’m hosting a discussion and giveaway in celebration of Armchair BEA. I’m a newbie to Armchair BEA (my first foray, and I’m a little late to the party), but let’s get going anyway. I will choose six winners at the end of the conference. You will find details about entering the giveaway at the end of this post. First, the Armchair BEA official topic–diversity in books. Here…
Congratulations to the World Book Night givers of 2014! You are absolutely awesome! In a few weeks you will spread the love of reading. Yay, you! Now, ready for some tips to help you get the most out of your special night? Last year in celebration of World Book Night, daughter Manda and I, along with thousands of other “givers,” took to the streets and offered free books to strangers. I chose to hand out The Language of Flowers—a book loved by…
(image via Flickr) Grace from Books Without Any Pictures challenged readers to confess their dark reading secrets. Confession is good for the soul, right? Among Grace’s confessions were the fact that she despises The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and that she likes to dog-ear books. It took me a while, but I decided the time had come to confess. 1. I think I’m in the wrong book group. Sometimes I feel like a Victorian at a nudist colony. (image via…
image (via Flickr creative commons) “The mind of a writer can be a truly terrifying thing. Isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination and consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing and soul-crushing inadequacy. And that’s on a good day.” —Robert De Niro If you watched the Oscars, you no doubt heard De Niro deliver this pronouncement on writers. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I decided to experiment (with myself as guinea pig) and test his hypothesis. I…