Do you know how to juggle? I don’t. All this year, I’ve been trying to do way too many things at once. If you read this post, you know how it makes me feel (hint: like shit). It’s gotten to the point where I’d rather sit on the couch in yesterday’s pajamas than tackle any of the things on my …
Flash Fiction for the Fun of It
I came across a writing challenge on Friday. Janet Reid, a famous literary agent, picked five random words and asked her blog readers to tell a 100-word story using all five. So I did. And I’m reposting the story here for you. You can see all the entries here, if you’re interested. Here are the five words: evil virus mono …
If Taylor Swift Sang about Editing Books Instead of Boys
I was in the liquor store the other night when the piped-in music caught my attention. It was Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Like, ever. Suddenly, it hit me…if this song were about finishing a book instead of getting over a guy, it would be my theme song. If you think about it, it makes total …
Madame du Barry & Me: What an 18th Century Courtesan Taught Me about Modern Life
If you’ve ever wondered where writers get their ideas, sometimes it’s when they were looking for something completely different. Case in point: I’ve been reading the biography Du Barry by Stanley Loomis, as part of my research for the sequel to The Romanov Legacy. The book is a fascinating glimpse at Louis XV’s last mistress. I related to her in …
The Red Road: First Look at My Next Book
Chapter One Wednesday, March 26 Four metal speakers blared into the courtyard. Emma watched the perforated cones pulse in rapid succession, strained by the exuberance of a mariachi band. She tried to remember how to describe the tempo of a piece of music. Beats per measure? Time signature? She couldn’t remember anything from the two years she’d taken flute. If …
Book Review: Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
In Night Watch, the first in the urban-noir fantasy series by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko, low-grade White Magician Anton Gorodetsky finds himself caught up in a plot orchestrated by higher-grade magicians to change the course of human history. No pressure, right? I don’t normally read fantasy. In fact, I never read fantasy. Why? Because of Flannery O’Connor. She once said …
How to Work Full Time and Fail at Everything Else
How do you know you’re on the right path in life? I’m not sure, but I can tell you how you know you’re not. It happens when you start feeling small and insecure and angry and on the verge of tears because the one thing you need is the one thing you can’t buy more of: time. This is the …
Pink Links, Volume 1
Here are some of the things I’ve been reading lately. I call them my “pink links” because…well…I like pink. To my male readers, don’t worry. My next post will be dripping with testosterone. Okay, “dripping” isn’t the right word. Let’s say “spritzed” instead. I watch Top Gear and have opinions on cars, grilling, tools, and other guy-friendly topics, too. In …
How I Got Started as a Writer
Lots of writers get asked about their origin stories. For some reason, people want to know what prompted that all-important life-changing moment. What makes a person take that crucial step? It has to be something compelling, something important, something meaningful…right? For me, it was a soap opera. A soap opera with an alien. I kid you not. General Hospital circa …
Book Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My mom and dad always used to get me a box of See’s Candy for Valentine’s Day. Some years, it was the big white variety box. Others, it was the smaller golden box of truffles. Why did they always select the smaller box for the truffles? Because they are rich. (The truffles, not my parents.) They’re not meant to be …