The thing about bookcases is that you always need more of them. At least I do, because the stream of books in my life is never ending. Books are like rabbits and ideas, they reproduce themselves automatically. One minute you have plenty of room in your bookcases for more books and then suddenly there are […]
And now, while I am on vacation, I have a guest post for you. It is from my dear friend Paula, one of the most voracious readers and excellent writers I know. I trust her opinion and you should, too. Be sure to check out her bio at the end of the review. A Sudden […]
I've been running a little contest this week to give away a free copy of The Midnight Disease. Today I chose the winner in a most scientific fashion–I wrote the names of the people who commented on pieces of paper, and had my daughter choose. So, drumroll please…. The winner is…. Heather Justesen! Heather's new […]
A ritual from an energy-healing technique that shall remain nameless ends thusly: it is done, it is done, it is done. This is meant to be the signal that the healing has taken place. But today I am co-opting it to announce that the novel is done. Finished, finito, fini, DONE. I can hardly believe […]
When my kids were little, it seemed like every other week there was a social event I didn't want to attend. I'm a pretty social person (all these hours I spend alone writing need some balance) but sometimes there were things I just didn't want to do–school parties where all the mothers seemed far more […]
I'm not exactly sure where I am going with this, so bear with me as I attempt to connect two trains of thought. Train Number #1–On Writing a Novel (you knew it was coming) When I was a MFA student, I loved always having an excuse to get out of things I didn't want to […]
I'm a junkie for writing books. The good ones get me so excited about writing that I have a hard time finishing them because I put them down to go write (sort of like what I hope this blog does for people). And even the bad ones generally offer some tidbit or another. So when […]
John Updike has died, of lung cancer. You can read the New York Times obit here. I'm sad. I didn't even know he was ill. The obituary is one of those that has been on file for awhile and so doesn't talk a lot about the circumstances of his death. Love him or hate him, […]
The Sinner's Guide to Confession By Phyllis Schieber Today I have the pleasure of hosting a blog stop on Phyllis Schieber's virtual book tour. Wouldn't it be refreshing for an author to pay attention to women of a certain age (especially if you are a woman of a certain age)? Well, Phyllis Schieber has!Her novel […]
I just found mine. It wasn't really lost, in the sense that it was something I desperately missed. It was more like it was buried under the multitude of interests and ideas that crowd my sometimes-mushy brain (too much going on in there!) It wasn't even something that I felt I needed. The experts, however, […]
