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Sunday Snippet: The Spring Is Here Edition
Right off, Happy Easter to all who celebrate! Spring seems to be springing already and you know, between health stuff and writing like a madwoman, I am more than ready. The gardens are coming to life–check out my hyacinths–aren’t they pretty? We’ve had a typical March in the Midwest—warm, lovely, sunny days and then cold, gray, and chilly ones. But now it’s April, and somehow this spring seems particularly promising, because ever since all this heart stuff, everything has felt…I dunno—unsettled. I’m not the only one feeling a sea change—with the weirdness that politics has become, I think the whole world is in this boat on many different levels. Liz…
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Author Spotlight: Liz Flaherty Stops by with Christmas Town Magic!
What fun to have my bestie check in with some news about the Christmas Town anthology coming up in October! What’s the scoop on the new Christmas Town anthology, my friend? Thanks for sneaking the Christmas Town wrecking writing crew in to visit, Nan! It won’t be here until October 10—go ahead and mark your calendars; I’ll wait—but the storytellers of Christmas Town, Maine, are busy getting our duckstories in a row. (Yeah, that’s not really a word, but for writers of continuity stories of any genre, it’s important!) A little history—as opposed to duckstory—in case you haven’t been to Christmas Town before. The series started with Christmas, Actually, by…
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Sunday Snippet: The Post Retreat Edition
It’s funny–it always takes me about a day to regroup after Liz and I have been on retreat. Settling back into my office, using the PC instead of the laptop, doing laundry, etc. I pretty much dropped my stuff yesterday and spent the day with Husband, catching up in the way married people who’ve been apart for a few days do. But today, I’m back in my office, looking out at a frosty morning and debating where to start. Well, apparently, I decided because here I am writing my Sunday Snippet. The retreat was, as always, fun and productive and full of words and story processing and sharing ideas. Liz…
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Sunday Snoppet, er, Snippet: The Writing Is Hard Work Edition
Someone once asked me to share something I learned since becoming a writer. The list is endless, but there a couple of things I can name right off the top of my head. The first is writing is hard work. Anyone who tells you different is either lying or not a writer. It doesn’t matter whether you’re writing a novel or a back cover blurb, a short story or a 500-word magazine article. Writing is hard. It requires discipline and creativity, time and research, and most of all a love of the game. If you don’t love to write, if the process itself isn’t an intrinsic part of who you…
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Author Spotlight: Liz Flaherty Has a Re-Release!
I was so excited when bestie, Liz Flaherty, told me she was rereleasing her inspirational romance, A Soft Place to Fall, because it is one my very favorite of her books. I knew I had to have her stop by and tell you all about it! USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty started writing in the fourth grade when her Aunt Gladys allowed her to use her portable Royal typewriter. The truth was that her aunt would have let her do anything to get her out of her hair, but the typewriter and the stories it could produce caught on, and Liz never again had a day without a what…
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Author Spotlight: Bestie Liz Flaherty Shares Wishes and Memories
We have a winner! Congratulations Jennifer Wilck! You are the winner of Liz’s giveaway. She will be in touch with you! Thanks to everyone who stopped by and shared their holiday memories! Happy Holidays! I adore having my bestie on the blog–her voice is what drew me to her over ten years ago and she has been a gift in my life ever since. USA Today bestselling author Liz Flaherty started writing in the fourth grade when her Aunt Gladys allowed her to use her portable Royal typewriter. The truth was that her aunt would have let her do anything to get her out of her hair, but the typewriter…
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Sunday Snippet: The “I Can’t Remember” Edition
Had lunch with Liz yesterday and it wasn’t long enough, but we both needed to get going, so we parted ways reluctantly. On the way to the cottage, I thought of something else I wanted to talk to her about, and I nearly called her from the car, but I didn’t because we both needed to focus on driving. I still can’t remember what it was I wanted to tell her… and that seems to be a theme in our lives. “I can’t remember… ” There are so many of those moments anymore. I can’t remember why I came back to the guest room closet… so I leave, get halfway…
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Sunday Snippet: The On Our Way Edition
Today’s snippet is necessarily short because I’m meeting Liz in a couple of hours and we’ll be on our way to Michigan for our fall writing retreat. If I could be any more excited, I promise you I don’t know how. I’ll be doing revisions on this trip with probably a little bit of new writing tossed in–I need to get started on Book 3 in the Weaver Sisters trilogy. Liz will be working on her new project, which isn’t mine to tell about, but I’m really excited about it! We’ll wander the west coast of Michigan, checking out lighthouses, wineries, beaches, and great restaurants, but mostly, we’ll be in…
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Sunday Snippet: The I Need a Break from Technology Edition
Congratulations to Deb Pruss! You are my winner of an e-book ARC of The Fireman’s Christmas Wish. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and you who took the time to comment. What a great conversation! Do you ever wonder how we survived before computers and cell phones and Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and websites and blogs? I can’t remember when I last dialed (literally dialed) a telephone or used the tuner on the television to change the station. When I last typed something a typewriter or used a paper roadmap to figure out where I was going, or opened a recipe book to find a new way to…
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Sunday Snippet: The Lake Life Is the Best Life Edition
I know. I know. I’ve done this topic before, but it’s my blog, so… you get another one today because it’s June and we’re here and so are Son and Grandboy and it’s been a good Father’s Day weekend so far. We got the cottage washed, which needed doing since May, but all the rain made it impossible, but it’s shiny clean now and I’m going to work on sprucing up the shutters today. Also, got plans to weed–we’re going to get new river rock for around the whole cottage, but we aren’t there yet. But, you know. it’s the lake, so we don’t feel the urgency, which is what…