One of the “Big” birthdays is about to happen in my life. Though it doesn’t feel nearly as big as it did when I was in my twenties. Amazing how the number 40 loses its ability to scare a person the closer she draws to it. But it does have me thinking. Even though I […]
What Makes Characters Great?
What makes characters great? (And I don’t mean great as in a great person, though that’s a fun conversation too. I’m talking about writing characters who could walk off the page and into real life.) I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately as I work on another story. I’ve learned over the years of […]
Things Authors have to Google (and other ways we research)
Google is a writer’s best friend – or at least it seems that way sometimes! I’ve researched everything from bread baking techniques (for Danielle in Summer to Remember) to how to embezzle money from a doctor’s office (Spring Fever). While we often pull from experience from former jobs, relationships, or current hobbies, sometimes we get […]
It’s Complicated… (interesting characters usually are) + cover reveal
If you’ve been on social media at any point in the last decade, you’ve probably noticed at least one of your “friends” with the relationship status It’s Complicated. The phrase has filtered its way into our culture in all sorts of ways—movie titles, song lyrics, book themes, mindsets. It’s complicated isn’t always a response we’d […]