Eighth grade. We were moving. Again. But this time, I’d read about autograph books in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and remembered how Francie had been so surprised that all the girls had wanted to write in hers—had liked her. It was probably “too good to be true”—for me at least—but I’ve always been Continue Reading
Rockland Chronicles
The 8 Worst Words of Homeschooling Advice & How to Avoid Them
August. The final month (for practical purposes) of those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. Popsicles, dashes to the pool, watermelon—lots of delicious watermelon while it lasts. And then it hits: back to school time. But with it is back to school season with those long lists of school supplies, Continue Reading
The Most Beautiful Place I’ve Ever Seen
The memory blurs, but I recall a cedar shake facade… Spanish tile roofing, two stories—a ranch. The great archways that completely surround the outside of a desert "hacienda," the Oklahoma farmhouse—and the great generator that fired up now and then for a rare use of my curling iron. Each one a Continue Reading
Warning: This Book Isn’t Free from Sexual Tension
“…just so glad I can grab any book with your name on the cover and know it’s safe for my kids and grandkids to read…” The longer the woman talks, the drier my throat becomes. I try to speak—I fail. Half-gasping, half-wailing to the Lord for help, the words miraculously (okay, a bit of hyperbole Continue Reading
Sequels I Want to Write: or my literary ADD
We all have our faults--those little things that make us unique. Some of us are just more unique as others. Add that to a unique name, a unique lifestyle--my whole life--and a unique almost everything else, when you add in those faults, it gets a mite... much. Me, I'm riddled with faults. Since Continue Reading
Speak Now Is Like a Fungus: It grew on me
And just how is Speak Now like a fungus, you ask? Well, c'mon. I already answered up there. It grew on me. Not quite literally, but you know. It happened. That growing thing. Note: links in this post may be affiliate links, providing me with a small commission at no additional cost to Continue Reading
Meet Ella & See What the Editor Says about Her
Today we have Christy the wonder assistant-slash-editor to give you her take on one of the first books she edited for me! Ella has a special place in many of my readers' hearts, and Christy is no exception. I did the editing for None So Blind, so for that reason alone, it holds a special Continue Reading
A Chat with Adric
One of my favorite things to do is to revisit my previous books and see if I still enjoy the characters as much as I did. So, in preparation for Ashley's promo this week, I decided to have a chat with Adric and see what I can learn. Chautona: Okay, Adric. Let's start off with the most often Continue Reading
Lessons Learned: in Speak Now
"You're really good at authentic dialogue." I don't remember who said it, but I remember thanking her and going back to look at my work. I agreed. Most of it was rather realistic. But I noticed something. Most of my scenes were very dialogue-driven. And that got me thinking... What would Continue Reading
Noble Pursuits: Re-edited!
Thirteen years ago, with my newborn son sleeping in his Moses basket beside me and my other children doing schoolwork, playing, or otherwise engaged in doing kid stuff. I'd been working on my first book--Aggie's Inheritance (Now Ready or Not)--and had a new idea. I'd read something once. I think Continue Reading
