Blog

I guess I lost track of what day it was. Easy to do these days. The blog is a bit late, but as I'm trying to keep my weekly ritual, I'll give it a go today. I've talked about character development, how I come up with a storyline, and have described what the next...

finally has a completed first chapter. It took days to decide where to begin Lil's story. Magic Bean Cafe began with Rhea reluctantly going to a speed dating night, where she caught her first glimpse of Aisin across the room. Once There Was A Tree began where Magic...

It's Tuesday and I've come to the page with no real topic in mind. It's been a little hard to conjure up magic these days. Maybe it's because, as I sit here, my dogs quiet, my husband working across the room, I can't use the props I normally use when writing. Maybe...

I'm think I'm getting the hang of this, although I miss getting out for coffee, meeting friends for dinner, having the freedom to come and go as I please. I do have my writing which is keeping me connected to "people" in another way. They might not be real, but the...

Our Massachusetts governor has issued an advisory to stay home. Not exactly a shelter-in-place, but a warning nonetheless. I've been home for weeks, venturing out only for food, dog supplies and pharmacy needs. My routine hasn't changed much, but the environment in my...

I'm home today, writing in my usual spot, wishing I could be sitting in KJ's sipping my coffee, watching the people move in and out, most with smiles on their faces. Like many, I'm staying close to home these days. It helps that I work here, have all my tools,...

Last week I talked about characters and how I develop them. Over the next few weeks I'm going to break down the story into segments so you can get a feel for how an author creates a storyline. I might as well start with the question where does the idea for the story...

Believable characters are imperative in "story". They must be complex, durable, and able to change. They need to come alive on the page, connect to the reader in ways that make the audience forget they are figments of someone's imagination. I like nothing better  than...

I got an email from my editor this morning, along with the edited version of my Magic Bean Café manuscript. She briefly touched on some feedback from an "expert" in her field about women's friendships in romance fiction. She referred to them as non-conflict tea...

Seems I've gotten into a routine of sorts. Tuesdays have become blog days. Easy enough, since I travel to KJ's for a coffee and breakfast sandwich. Tuesdays have always been  one of those lost days of the week, when I know that little will get done. Today one of the...