I love to recommend books to people. But not books that I just read and now I’m telling everyone that they should read it. I like figuring out what books people have enjoyed in the past, what genres they like and what they’re looking for in their next read before I suggest a book. For […]
My mom read Longing is Violet Dusk. She called me, concerned. She was worried that I might be feeling depressed or having regrets about past boyfriends. It made me laugh. I took it as a compliment to my writing. I am quite happily married and none of my past boyfriends evoke a stitch of longing […]
I have never actually been to Australia, so my knowledge of this burger comes completely from the internet. The internet would have you believe that this is what everyone in Australia orders on their burgers. There are a lot of toppings on this thing and it is super messy. I love inviting people over to […]
A long time ago, right around the same time I started writing books, I had a bitty food blog. I started it so that I would be able to participate in an online community called The Daring Bakers/The Daring Chefs. They issued monthly recipe challenges that taught some more complex food preparation techniques. It was […]
Have you ever planted a packet of seeds in the dirt never to see them turn into plants? Sometimes I feel like planting seeds outside is akin to gambling in Vegas. Here’s how I get my seeds to sprout before I put them outside. First get a paper towel. I really like this thick kind […]
Perhaps this is a rant of mine? I feel like it’s more of an observation until it touches my own precious characters and then it might become a rant. What makes a female character likable? My assertion is that it is much harder to write likable female characters than male characters. There is a much […]
I have to admit that romance isn’t my favorite genre to read. I know, I know, my first book, Love Over Easy, is a romance. While I was writing it, I found that the relationship plot-line was secondary to the other stuff that was going on in my characters lives. Guy’s grief and Violet’s uncertainty […]
As far as I’m concerned, my blog is a captive audience to talk about books. As a writer, I try really hard to be positive about the work of other writers, because I know how devastating it is to get negative feedback. So I follow the old axiom my mom used to tell me. If […]
The Shining by Stephen King. I avoided reading this one for years because I was too scared. This book, while being absolutely, impressively, amazing, it not as scary as I thought it would be. It is definitely worth reading if you haven’t picked it up before. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. […]
My birthday used to suck. My husband is in finance and works long hours mid September through mid December each year, during budget season, right through my birthday. He tries, but mostly my birthday was just me trying to convince my kids to be extra nice to me all day, and letting myself eat all […]
