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Word revolution
Here’s a fun exercise. But first, a bit of philosophy. Contrary to many people in the news who use words to destroy, writers use them to create. I love words – love putting them together in a way that paints an action, a sentiment, a hope or a dream. I play with them endlessly when…
Read MoreDaring to dream
A dear friend recently celebrated a milestone birthday. After the food was eaten, wine drunk, toasts offered and dessert served, my friend rapped her glass for attention. She had a toast of her own to make, and, in the process, offered a word of wisdom. Follow your dream, she said, and told of something she…
Read MoreA Skeptic’s Guide to Hashtags
First, disclaimers. (1) I’m new to hashtags; I’ve only used them since I joined Instagram in April. (2) Hashtags have been the hardest part of social media for me to understand. (3) They make me feel old. So I write this with a built-in bias. Please remember that. I can’t tell you how many times…
Read MoreHow to pick the right title for a book?
If I knew the answer to that, I’d save myself a lot of angst. Picking a title is easy. Picking the right one, not necessarily so. Who picks the title? Sometimes it’s me. From my initial conception, Flirting with Pete was Flirting with Pete. Same with Lake News, Heart of the Night, Not My Daughter, and…
Read MoreCousins’ lunch
“You can choose your friends, but you sho’ can’t choose your family.” So wrote Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird. It isn’t a new thought. Variations of it have appeared before and after, but the sentiment is spot on. Blood connections are a physical reality. Unfortunately, many of us are stuck with relatives we…
Read MoreWhy I included what I did in BLUEPRINTS
With Blueprints going on sale in paperback this week, I just reread it to refresh my memory. Does it surprise you that I would need to do that? But consider this. I’ve written and published more than 80 books. No human mind can keep straight all the details of 80 books. Moreover, it’s been two…
Read MoreWhy I’m not retiring
A reader just wrote that she heard I was retiring. Who said that? No. I’m not retiring. Let’s be clear about it. I. Am. Not. Retiring. Not that I haven’t considered it in moments of frustration. Life for a writer has changed. When I started – more than 30 years ago – all I had…
Read MoreWhy I just joined Instagram
I swore I wouldn’t. Social media is only good if you do it well, but how many social media sites can one writer do well and still write her book? I’ve done Facebook for a long while and have a healthy following. For posting news, sharing events, offering contests, and simply getting the opinions of…
Read MoreWalking on thin ice
I have three sons. All are grown, married with kids, and gainfully employed. They genuinely like me, and I genuinely like them. In all of these things, I am very, very lucky. That said, navigating the waters with an adult child hasn’t always been easy. First came college. Actually, the trouble began not when my…
Read MoreLean on me
Lean on me… when you’re not strong … Remember that song? Bill Withers wrote it in 1972, which may have been the year you were born, or the year your children were born, or ten years before that, but the words are timeless. I’ve been thinking about them a lot. I don’t have many close…
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