“Where Do You Get Your Ideas?”
I think every author hears that at one point or another in her career, and it always makes me laugh. Where do I get my ideas? Where don't I get my ideas? Sitting in the large jury selection room, I began to wonder what would happen if someone just didn't show up for...
The Trial Is Over!
Oh, my friends, the trial I've been sitting on for the past month is finally over. If you are not an American, our justice system probably seems weird and opaque to you. It often seems that way to me and I am an American. The trial for which I was on the jury was one...
The Motherless Heroine
I've been thinking about my own work lately and I realized that I have something in common with Disney: a whole lot of motherless heroines. In Twisted, her mother's murder is the major event in the heroine's life. That's not giving anything away, as the book's cover...
I Have Not Forgotten You!
I know, I have been neglecting the blog. Unfortunately, despite my very best efforts (well, not really) I am still sitting on a jury. We're getting to the end, so I will be back with you shortly. In the meantime, a few things: • I am gearing up for Lost's release on...
Shiny Things
Every year, I bid on at least a couple of items in Brenda Novak's annual auction the proceeds of which go to support diabetes research. Last year, I won my super-cool Lego trailer from Sarah M. Anderson and my website design from DreamForge Media. This year, I am...
Sitting on a Jury
I am curious about how many of my friends have served on juries and what their experiences were. I am currently serving on a federal jury which—because the federal courthouse is far from close to my house—is making for very long days. The nice thing about the federal...
Animals of the West Indies
My husband and I took a wonderful and much needed vacation over the last two weeks. We have a timeshare unit in Sint Maarten, the Dutch West Indies, but one of the best things about the island is that it's half Dutch and half French--the other half of the...
HEA? An Interlude and Fiction as Explanation
A discussion over the last several days on Twitter, and a long and interesting post with a great discussion on Dear Author, on the topic of what kind of ending readers require in a romance--HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now), and indeed, what "happy for...
Tweaky Publishing Stuff…and a New Store
Today I am over at Women of Mystery with a long post on numbers, self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, and some of the inherent difficulties with using sales data to make career decisions. It was also pointed out to me after I Photoshopped myself a pair of...
Crankypants
If only I could clone myself, the other me would, in her copious free time, create a clothing company called "Cranky Couture" so that we could all wear honest-to-goodness cranky pants when we feel like it. If you're part of the publishing world, I'll just say that my...