Inching Back—But First, Coffee!

I’m still weary and numb from my annus horribilis, but like the rest of the natural world, there are sprouts and buds of life occurring. Yesterday I went with the family to my favorite nearby spot: Cape May! We had an absolutely joyful time pedaling along the Revolutionary Rail trail in a four person car. […]

January Woes

Let’s begin with the good news: The Forgotten Daughter is available for pre-order and on schedule for a January 27 release. Please do pre-order. It is only 99 cents now, but it will revert to full retail price on after launch. The candles came out of the windows the day after Epiphany. In the Regency […]

Writing 101: Characters

I allowed character development to languish lately. It has been a bit chaotic in our little stone cottage in the urban wilds. Visitors coming. Visitors going. Visitors rescheduling. Visitors coming. News from afar, not all of it good. Children delighting Beloved for Father’s Day. Vegetables shouting “pick me now.” Garden beds either swamped by rain […]

Writers on Writing

Last week I stumbled on an interesting article about Hemingway’s advice to a young writer. I may not be young in years, but I’m super young in writing, so I took it to heart. There are several gems in it, but the particularly timely one for me was: Don’t get discouraged because there’s a lot […]

Morning Music

The trees sang this morning, a symphony after the long silence. I added my morning psalms. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy. A goldfinch flashed his coat in the sun while the catbird devoured his breakfast. The first few irises peeked open overnight, making the alleluias come easily this morning. My […]

It’s a Stretch

The peas have gone wild this year. I have to go up on tip toe to get the ones eighteen inches above my head. I’ve been picking them every day, but the little darlings also disguise themselves as leaves so I miss some of the lower ones. By the next day when I find them, […]

It Is Hard to Write When…

Good Monday morning! Things remain at sixes and sevens here. The Big Kitchen Project is almost—but not quite—done. Here’s what I learned: It is hard to write when your office is turned into a field kitchen. It is hard to write when loud pounding ensues. It is hard to write when your brain is full […]

The Best Laid Plans…

With apologies to Robert Burns, plans change. Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn—and so do the stories I write. The beginning and end of The Price of Glory have been clear to me, but the middle—as is often the case—has been murky. I woke up this past week with a harsh light shining on the […]