Chasing the Muse
“Being a novelist,” a rather well-known novelist once told me, “often means going into the office, closing the door, and flipping through magazines.” During my decades as [...]
“When you read a book….”
When you read a book, leave a review somewhere. Wouldn’t you like the same? —C. Hope Clark The sentiment above struck home for me because as a reader I do want to share the joy I [...]
When did you know…?
“When did you know you wanted to be a writer?” someone asked me last week. OK. How about always. As soon as I could read–and I was reading chapter books in second grade–I [...]
Artist’s Date
The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you…think mischief more than mastery…they spark whimsy…. –Julia Cameron, [...]
Women of a certain age
When readers met Emma Golden for the first time in An Unholy Alliance it was quickly known to all that she was not a youngster. In fact, she was past what any of us would consider her [...]
Why Bandon, Oregon?
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Elizabeth Strout (see linked interview for further insights) describes “place” as a major character in her novels. She goes so far as to suggest it [...]
More about Emma (or, the wounded hero)
Fictional characters have a lot to lose, and nowhere is this more prevalent than in the mystery novel. Our characters have flaws–great big FAT flaws, and lots of them. To show you what I [...]