It’s not like I don’t have anything to write. I’ve got a novel to finish, a wine book to update and The Bodice Rips… to finish. But I’ve been toying with a mystery short story and found my inspiration a few days ago. My wonderful husband and I were on … Read More
The Dreaded Writer’s Block
It’s been a while since I’ve written another scene for “The Bodice Rips…” Part of it is that I was working on another story, one that, frankly, excited me more. As I sat down to work on “The Bodice Rips…” today, I realized I was stuck. So, I did what … Read More
Can a Romance Novel Heal the Nation?
I think a lot about words and all their subtle meanings, especially in this world of black and white thinking. (Or is it red and blue thinking?) As romance novel writer, I want love to triumph over all impossibilities. I think most romance novel readers would agree. (Love to hear … Read More
How To Protect Your Email
Authors, like everyone selling a product, need to market. They need to tell you about their latest work and they’re usually pretty proud of what they’ve accomplished — with good reason! With the internet it’s pretty easy to market–and pretty easy to get it wrong. A recent discussion on a … Read More
Why Romance?
A fellow writer asked me why I write romance. It took me a little while to come up with the answer. I suppose it’s because I very much believe in the power of love and the strength of a powerful love. My 29-year-old son told me that he admired the … Read More
Heroine With a Twist
I’m told the heroine of my current work-in-progress (WIP) is pleasant. Ugh. Nice is good, but not memorable. So I’m scratching my head (and various other body parts) to think of a way to make her…well…quirky…but normal. And still nice. She grew up in an Italian-American household with five brothers. … Read More
Loving Ourselves First
The more I write, the more I realize that the idea driving my writing is something I discovered for myself years ago. You see, I’ve been divorced more than once…well, more than twice, actually. At some point, I sat myself down and said, “Self…this is crazy! There may be something … Read More
Ups and Downs of Submissions
After I came back from the RT Convention in April, I was a happy aspiring author. I’d received two requests from agents and one from an editor for my manuscript, California Sunset. I polished it up one more time and sent it off, full of naive confidence. Reality has set … Read More