"There's just something about an eReader. I love to inhale the subtle scent of... plastic. They make me happy seeing them all lined up on the... counter. Charging. On a rainy day, nothing beats a fire in the fireplace, a cup of your favorite hot beverage, the sound of rain pattering against the Continue Reading
The Soundtrack of My Writer’s Mind
There are a few memos I didn't get as a writer back when I started. No. Seriously. I missed a few. Things like, "writer's block" and "tortured souls". Yeah. We're supposed to have those things. Who knew? Not me! Oh... and we're supposed to have these elaborate soundtracks for our books. No Continue Reading
Questions That Plague Me (or something like that)
I was always an inquisitive kid. Oh, who am I kidding? I'll be asking irritating and irrelevant questions until the day they slap duct tape over my mouth in the nursing home and shove me out a six-story window. But I'll be asking, "Wwwwhhhyyy....????" as I fall to my death. Trust me on Continue Reading
Baggage: Claim It or Not, We All Have It
Look, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a very frank person. I say what I think. I try to do it kindly, but I rarely mince words. Don't ask my opinion if you don't want it. No. Really. Note: links in this post are likely affiliate links and will provide me with a small commission at no Continue Reading
When Authors Blow It (nearly, anyway)
Picture the scene. There I was, blithely editing Past Forward (I think volume 3), when I saw the date. February 14. It was supposed to a big deal--a huge day in the lives of characters from a related book coming out soon. Just one problem. A year before, on that day, almost all the characters Continue Reading
The Newcomer by Suzanne Woods Fisher: a book review
Can I let you in on a secret? I don't like Amish fiction. Yeah. I don't. That's not to say I've never read Amish fiction that I enjoyed. That's not what I mean. What I mean is that when I hear someone suggest a book and it turns out to be Amish, I tend to tune out. Most feel like the same Continue Reading
Ever Wonder Who Wins Giveaways with What Entries?
Well, I'm going to tell you this time. I'm going to tell you what entries became the winning entries! I mean, why not? It's fun information, right? I mean, did your newsletter sign-up get you the prize? What number was it? Were you the first entry? The last? A generic middle? (Note:: Continue Reading
Hobbies? You Mean There’s Life Outside Writing?
What? When I was five, I made a purse. That sucker was hideous, but I made it. Sometime around that same age, my mom taught me to make "broomstick lace" by crocheting onto a broom handle. And yeah, we used a real broom handle. We were thrifty in those days. Sure wish that idea had rooted Continue Reading
Who’s My BFF? This guy!
In this week's blog post, we're supposed to do, "Meet My Best Friend." Well... (note: links in this post may be affiliate links which will give me a small commission at no additional cost to you!) I kind of feel stupid. You see, I saw the whole "Meet my best friend" and went, "Um... how do I Continue Reading
Write What You Know: What it really means
You've heard it. I'm sure you have. The ubiquitous advice for all would-be authors: "Write what you know." Half of me wants to say, "That's totally true. Do it." The other half of me says, "That's garbage. If we only write what we know, we'll never explore the greatest parts of our Continue Reading
Why My Editor Is Losing Hair: & other stuff
My editor probably doesn't know it. But she is. I do it to her with every book. Let me set the scene. This is how I imagine things go when she opens that email with the subject line: "Here You Go!" (That really is usually the subject line. Just sayin'.) (note: links in this post may be Continue Reading
Summer on Sunset Ridge: a book review
.Summer on Sunset Ridge by Sharlene MacLaren intrigued me from the moment I read the synopsis. Quakers? I don’t believe I’ve ever run across Quakers in Christian fiction, so I had to try it. See, my knowledge of Quakers is severely limited to Thee Hannah, Friendly Persuasion, and Miss Alice in Continue Reading
