A question I am frequently asked about this book is:
Which character do you most relate to and why?
In my women’s contemporary romance novel, Dragonflies at Night, Savannah Adams loses her mother to breast cancer at the age of fifteen, and her father to a terrible car accident at sixteen. Continue reading →
The women’s novel I’m writing right now takes place in a fictional seaside town in Southern Maine. Forty-something Tess Gilmore is a single mother in New Haven (Connecticut) who’s been working her butt off and taking night classes in office management the last four years, and has lost touch with her newly-graduated son Micah and her eleven-year-old daughter Eva. Continue reading →
I know,Ā I know! You probably weren’t expecting THIS show to stir my soul. But read on . . .
Several years ago there was an amazing television show that was popular here in America.Ā It was called How to Look Good Naked. Ā The host was Carson Kressley, a quirky and compassionate man whose main quest was to change womenās perceptions about their bodies. Continue reading →
I am often asked “Who is your favorite writer?”Ā
What???
That’s like asking me to name my favorite grandchild or brand of chocolate!
Not fair. At. All.
Thereās no way I can only choose one, but Iāll narrow it down a little.Ā Here are some of my most favorite authors.
In the fiction field, these are the ones who have inspired me the most in my own mission of writing stories that stir the soul:
Elizabeth Berg
Elizabeth Cunningham
Ann Crawford
And I just read the most amazing women’s novel, The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin. Continue reading →
In my upcoming novel, Feathers in the Sand, one of the characters (Micah) unexpectedly joins the Army and his decision affects his mother Tess and little sister Eva in huge (and also unexpected) ways. 
At first the whole idea of writing another novel seemed daunting. Even though the characters and story had been tugging at my heart for a while. Then I remembered something I learned in a Jennifer Louden class years ago:
Baby steps.
A lot can be accomplished by consistently doing a big project in teeny tiny chunks. Continue reading →
Hi Friends!
I’m reporting in on my Fast Drafting process (as taught by Jessica Brody) of my new novel, “Feathers in the Sand” (current working title).
I’m about 2/3 of the way done (I think, I hope!) with about 65,000 words in the Scrivener file. I should be done with this FIRST draft around mid-May and then the REVISING will begin. Continue reading →
Q. In your novel, Dragonflies at Night, which character do you most relate to and why?
A. Even though I didnāt lose my parents until my adult years, I relate the most to Savannah because I totally understand her fear of receiving a cancer diagnosis. I went through surgeries and treatments for breast cancer in 2002 and again in 2011, so I can tell you that her fear is very real. Continue reading →
I’m happy to report that my fast drafting is going well. I’m two weeks in now and I’ve been able to keep to my commitment of 4-5 days a week, butt in seat, fingers moving on the keyboard No Matter What, 2-3 hours each time. Progress is being made. I am falling more in love with Tess and Eva and Micah (Tess’s mom? Continue reading →
As you may have heard, I have begun work on my new novel which is tentatively called Feathers in the Sand. For the last few months I’ve been devoting my scheduled writing time to creating characters, doing research, imagining settings, and dreaming up plot points. This photo shows part of my process of creating/getting to know the main characters (me and my imagination, holed up in a hotel room in Maine, with colored markers and lots of paper!). Continue reading →