In praise of sweet corn
‘Tis the season. We’ve had fresh sweet corn around here for weeks now, but I’m in Massachusetts, and that corn is from Georgia, which isn’t to say it isn’t good, simply that it isn’t local. Locally-grown produce is a big part of Sweet Salt Air, and though corn isn’t a major player in the book,…
Read MoreToo many ads
Do you see ads? I mean, do they actually register with you? I ask this after reading an article in my local paper, The Boston Globe. It’s about Gen Y-ers, or Millennials, and though I’m way older than they are, I like the fact that I occasionally behave like them. They ignore ads, says this…
Read MoreI hear you!
The notes you send have a huge impact on me. The most obvious instance occurred in June, soon after Sweet Salt Air came out. One reader said she thought the book started too slowly. I promptly turned to my work-in-progress, reread the opening with a critical eye, then switched Chapters 1 and 2 so that…
Read MoreEver lost your cell phone?
Panic! We’re talking cold turkey withdrawal and then some, because cell phones have become key to our lives. When did that happen? Most everyone over thirty remembers when land lines were the go-to phone connection. When one of my sons decided to cancel his land line for cell-only status, I was worried. What if the…
Read MoreWhat does summer sound like?
Well, how appropriate. We’re at the lake, and I’ve decided to blog about what I hear. Cradling my laptop, I head through the kitchen porch toward the open deck when there’s a shout from inside. “Don’t let the screen door slap!” I won’t tell you whose voice it is lest I incriminate him, but suffice…
Read MoreWhat’s with the happy ending?
I’ve always written them. There are lots of reasons for that, many of which are listed below. On impulse, I even focused a recent SPEEDY BD SURVEY on whether my readers like their books to have them. The response was overwhelmingly positive. But then, that’s the nature of the women (and men) who like my…
Read MoreBut do you like my book?
And so comes the Monday after the first weekend you’ve all have with my newest book. I sit on tenterhooks wondering, worrying, hoping. Sweet Salt Air has actually been out and around for the sake of getting early reviews. Part of the promotional campaign leading up to its publication entailed sending Advance Reading Copies to…
Read MoreOn sale now! What do I feel?
For starters, I feel like it’s about time! I finished writing Sweet Salt Air a year ago, and though my publisher needed these months to publish the book well – and they have! – I feel like you all have waited forever. On one hand, I want you hungry, so that you’ll race out and…
Read MoreSnapshots of SWEET SALT AIR
Last week’s blog talked about which character in this book is my favorite, but I have other favorites here. Since Sweet Salt Air is a highly sensual book, I’m thinking see, smell, feel, hear, and taste. I’m calling them snapshots, because they’re just quick little moments from the book. I guess that makes this blog…
Read MoreAre you imaginative?
I get ideas from what I read in the news. Here’s a perfect example. I logged on this morning to catch the headlines at cnn.com and saw this one, “How ‘GOT’ will end,” and immediately clicked through. GOT is Game of Thrones, and I’m addicted to it. This Sunday is the Season 3 finale, but…
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