Writing in snow

We woke up this morning with a dusting of snow on the ground.  It wasn’t a surprise.  The weather guy has been forecasting it all week, and people have been talking, most with moans and groans. Not me.  I’m ready.  The trees are already half-bare; pine needles cover the yard.  A coating of snow pretties…

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One of the perks of being a writer is …

… meeting other authors.  Today was a perfect example.  I was one of three authors at a book and author brunch at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts.  Perkins is world-renowned, and the event itself was amazing.  The men and women who attended (many with guide dogs) were fascinating to me; I…

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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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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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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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