Dealing with the loss of my characters
Readers feel this. You’ve been engrossed in a book for however long it takes to read it and then, suddenly, the characters are gone. You write me asking what they’ll do now and whether they’ll ever be back. But if you miss them, think of what I’m feeling when I finish writing a book. Take Sweet…
Read MoreTHE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS: a book recommendation
Judi, one of my readers, recommended this to me in a recent blog comment. I had already read several reviews of this book, but saw her recommendation at the moment when I needed something new. What a good read! The Light Between Oceans is set in the 1920’s, as was Rules of Civility, which I…
Read MoreAre you a typo freak?
Inevitably, when each of my books first comes out, I get notes from readers catching typos. “ Doesn’t anyone proofread anymore?” they ask plaintively. The answer? YES! I carefully read through looking for errors, as do my editor, my agent, my assistant, and more people at the publishing house than I care to count. And still, when the…
Read MoreRULES OF CIVILITY – a book recommendation
Another one, you say? Wow, do you read fast! I do, but only when I’m not writing, and since right now I’m hovering in the twilight between Sweet Salt Air and my next book, I have time. As always, this isn’t as much a book review as a recommendation. I can only tell you what I like. …
Read MoreLean on me
Do you remember that song? “Lean on me … when you’re not strong … I’ll be your friend … I’ll help you carry on …” It was written by Bill Withers in 1972 and is still being played, and no wonder. The message is right there in the words, no pussy-footing around. I also think…
Read MoreA DISCOVERY OF WITCHES: a recommendation
I actually want to talk about two books – A Discovery of Witches and its sequel, Shadow of Night. Please note, this isn’t a book review, simply a recommendation of two books that I’ve enjoyed reading. Both were written by Deborah Harkness, and they have totally caught my fancy. If that phrase is old-fashioned, it’s…
Read MoreRevising SWEET SALT AIR
Here’s how it works. The author writes her book and sends it to her editor, who reads it, thinks about it, reacts to it, hopefully loves it – but also comes up with a few recommendations to make it even stronger. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t always. Authors have egos. We have pride and fears. Let me…
Read MoreAre you healthier eating organic?
Since one of the protagonists in Sweet Salt Air (my coming book) is a die-hard locavore, I was naturally interested in this. Not that a locavore necessarily eats organic. By definition, a locavore buys and eats food that is locally produced – food produced by local farmers and sold in local markets – but since…
Read MoreHow to control food cravings
I asked you all about food cravings in yesterday’s SPEEDY BD SURVEY, and there were some really interesting replies. The most frequent? Chocolate. So, let’s talk about food cravings. Do you get them? I do. There are times when I am desperate for a fried egg on buttered toast. Or a sizzling steak. Or yes,…
Read MoreHow wrong I was
Remember my recent blog about beading? How I wasn’t sure about it? How I couldn’t thread the needle? How you can’t cuddle with beads like you do with yarn? Can’t watch tv while you bead? Can’t relax into the rhythm? I was so wrong. The problem, of course, as so many of you readers said…
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