Our house has been more like a merry-go-round than anything since my three girls reached adulthood. Hop on. Hop off. Hop back on again. And while we’ve always been happy to open our home to family, a couple of weeks ago we reached a new milestone— The Empty Nest. We still watch our grandson Boo […]
Creating Character: How Acting Helps My Writing by Deb Kastner
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to act at a local theater in its production of Jekyll and Hyde, the ultimate good vs evil with outstanding choral musical score that never fails to give me goosebumps. It’s been ten years since I’ve treaded the boards and it’s been great fun and a wonderful stress reliever for […]
I’m Working…Really, I Am
I know there have been several posts here on Inspy Romance regarding travel research and specifically cruises. Today I have the pleasure of adding to those posts with a story of my own. The indie book I’m currently writing, the second in my Last Chance Ranch series, is called Serenaded by the Singer, and it, […]
Bringing a Book to Life by Deb Kastner
When I started writing, the easiest and best way to bring my ideas to life was with a pen on paper (fun note: I still prefer to write that way!), the reason being that I would then have to transfer those words to a typewriter with carbon paper. Anyone remember carbon paper? Mistakes required dabbing […]
Tickling My Funny Bone by Deb Kastner
As I mentioned in earlier blog posts, 2019 is going to be a big PIVOT year for me and I couldn’t be any more excited. The last two years I’ve felt rather like I’ve been hiding under my bed, afraid to stick my head out and see what is happening in the world. Chicken Little […]
Learning to Pivot
Back in January, when I was looking forward to how I expected this year to go and made goals and plans, I could never have expected all the changes that would happen, either personally or professionally. My husband officially became disabled (he was before, but it’s not “official” until the government agrees…). My oldest daughter […]
What’s Missing? by Deb Kastner
A Unique Christmas Mystery As many of you know, I’ve gone “hybrid,” which means I am independently publishing some books, writing some for a small press and continuing to write for Harlequin. This has completely spoiled me, because when I indie publish, the choice of what goes on my cover is entirely up to me. […]
A Christmas to Remember… by Deb Kastner
As many of you know, I’ve been slowly dipping my toes into independent publishing. I still love writing for Harlequin, but I couldn’t pass up the wonderful opportunity to join some of my Inspy Romance author sisters in bringing about this brand new Christmas bundle. Enter my very first adorable, stuttering, VR-glasses-wearing geek hero Cameron […]
Finding Time to Read by Deb Kastner
I suspect writers aren’t the only ones with too much time, too little to do. Or as dear Willie Wonka in (the old, wonderful Gene Wilder version of) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory would say, “Scratch that. Reverse it.” Free Time? What is this thing called Free Time? When my grandson Boo complains that he’s […]
Pedaling Backward by Deb Kastner
Like people in many other fields, authors must meet deadlines, whether set by editors in the world of traditional publishing or scheduled onto the calendar when indie-publishing. I am an oldest-child, deadline-oriented perfectionist. I doubt I would ever get any books written (or blog posts for that matter) if I didn’t have to meet deadlines. […]