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BFF or Frenemy? When to Call It Quits
I lost touch with my first best friend when I moved cities at age fourteen. The sudden loss of my then BFF broke my heart and I still think back on the devotion and love we shared and then lost, and sometimes wonder if our friendship would have lasted the test of time. Since then, […]
The Little Drummer Girl from Bridgeport Connecticut
I spent a couple of hours yesterday reading through a creative writing fellowship application, and came to the following question: What was the first piece of creative writing you ever produced? Since I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, I really had to dig deep for the answer. And since my response […]
Book Marketing Flyer for Dummies
Anyone with Word can create this easy do-it-yourself sell sheet. As a member of the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs (NABE), my novel Our Romantic Getaway was recently included in their marketing efforts at the 2015 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Show in Portland, Oregon. As a follow-up, I wanted to send a marketing flyer to all […]
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Out to dinner with a friend a few weeks ago, she gloomily confided in me that she was the “black sheep” of her family. Her sorrowful declaration raised the hair on my arms and gave me the chilly willies for two reasons: 1. She is beautiful, successful, generous, compassionate, considerate, well-grounded, strong, selfless, and a […]
My Sun Phobia—Just Call Me Draculess
I have discovered over the past several years that the splendid and blazing sun is NOT my friend. And I go out of my way to stay far far away from it or use serious protective measures when forced to interact with it. As a personal choice, and I admit that perhaps I have […]
My Arduous Journey from Bridgeport to Westport—and What I Never Should Have Worn
In early 1967, my mother sat me down to inform me that once she remarried in August, we were moving from Bridgeport to Westport Connecticut. I wasn’t pleased. In June, I was graduating from St. Ambrose Catholic Grammar School in Bridgeport and was planning on attending Notre Dame Girls Catholic High School in the fall. […]
Happy Birthday Pam 6/2/52 – 5/20/09
[This blog post is unusually long. But it’s about my cousin Pam (pictured above), who was unforgettably unusual. So in memory of her, please stick with it and I hope you find it worth your time.] Relaxing on my pergola swing recently, I reveled in the greenery and inhaled the scent of fresh grass and […]
Writing the Perfect Book Blurb in 25 Words
I was recently asked to provide a book blurb for my novel Our Romantic Getaway in 25 words or less—including the title. As the queen of verbiage, this was no easy task. I started out with 375 words, and then cut it back to 180. That was the easy breezy part. Then I copied and […]
How to Market Your Book
I get hundreds of e-mails asking me how my books are selling and what kind of effort I have been putting into getting them out there. Here is my partial answer: As a recent novelist, I can tell you that the marketing and selling of Our Romantic Getaway and The Day It Snowed Popcorn has […]
My Elusive Father and the Chance Meeting I Blew
This has been an extremely difficult and depressing blog to put together. Mostly because not knowing my father, has created a life-long hole in my heart. I was once told by a close friend, who has been the unfortunate recipient of my non-stop father narratives, that I have a broken wing. I tend to disagree. […]