Getting a jump on Christmas

Amazing, the number of knitting books that come out each year offering speedy knits for Christmas.  I wish they applied to me.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, to judge from the finished product, IMOSHO) I like knitting with fingerweight or DK yarns, which is thinner and finer than bulky, requires thinner and finer needles, and takes a…

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Survival guide for a writer in a book group

My book group met last night to discuss The Paris Wife, which is a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage.  When I read this book last April, I was intrigued by the marriage, but even more, as a writer, by the ups and downs of Hemingway as he struggled to be published.  I was…

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Naming the baby

A book title either hits me, or it doesn’t.  When it doesn’t, I defer to my publisher.  After all, a title is a marketing tool, and they’re the marketing experts.  Of my last five books, from FAMILY TREE to the present, the only one I came up with myself was ESCAPE, but that was a…

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My book is a GO!

Good news.  My editor called this morning to say that everyone at SMP loves my proposal.  There are a few questions, basically things for me to keep in mind as I write, but now that I have a green light, I can start. I’m psyched! And suddenly nervous.  Drafting a proposal is one thing.  As…

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Comfort food foot

I finished my Kai-Mei socks last night.  Hours in front of the TV helped, because when what you’re watching is emotional, like the 9-11 memorials yesterday were, knitting is a comfort. Part of it’s the rhythm, which is simple and timeless.  But part is the material.  I confess it.  I’m a fiber snob.  I mean,…

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Displaying family pictures in a digital age

Remember when we used to sit on the floor sorting through boxes of photos, reminiscing, laughing or groaning depending on how we looked back then? There is no box now. Our photos are on the computer, the iPad or the phone. So how do we reminisce? I start by combing through digital files, picking the…

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How to write a book proposal that sells

Early this morning, I emailed the formal proposal for my new book to New York. It was sixteen pages of single-spaced description, starting with a single painstakingly-written sentence. That first sentence has to hook my editor or she’ll never read the rest. I mean, you guys read the first page or two of a book…

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Barbara Delinsky blogs again … and the plot thickens

I’m back! My energy has finally returned, and no wonder. I took the whole summer off – I mean, did zero writing. This was possible, of course, because I’m at the plotting stage of my next book, which entails more thinking than writing. And I did think. My new characters have been gestating since June,…

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