I recently went and heard Donald Maass talk about putting the fire into your fiction–which coincidently will be the name of his next writing book. Years ago, I attended one of his all day workshops and was completely taken aback at his theories and insights on writing. He really fired me back up then and so when I heard he was coming to Bainbridge Island, which is just a ferry hop across Puget Sound, I knew I needed to sign up. I wasn’t disappointed.

He took those of us lucky enough to attend through a series of hands on exercises … Read more »

is The Big Bang Theory on CBS. If you haven’t seen this new show yet, please sit down, give it 30 minutes and discover how funny a sitcom can be. This show is hilarious. The story of two highly intelligent geeks who get a new neighbor in the form of a pretty but not overly bright girl named Penny. Penny rattles their regulated, Romulan loving, cyber social world and it is this meeting of Beauty and the Geeks that has me laughing for the rest of the week.

Now first I must confess that many years ago I was in … Read more »

When I blogged about the Dedication in Love Letters from a Duke, I ended up meeting Joey, who also has a son with autism. We’ve exchanged emails and some of you even pitched in and helped Joey with her Autism Walk fund drive. Joey recently emailed me and asked for some way to say thanks to all of you who pitched in and I asked her to join me here in my blog and write about her experiences so every one of you would know how much your donations, prayers and good thoughts helped her and so many other … Read more »

As I was coming out of Central Park last Sunday I walked past someone famous and did a double-take. As did my sister-in-law, Cathy. And we both said at once, “Was that_________?” Of course, Nick had no clue who it was–being only 8. And it turns out it was who we thought it was. So who did we see? You have twenty questions, but please only ask one at a time to give everyone a chance to play.… Read more »

I’ve been to quite a few conferences in my time and this past weekend at the NJ Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book conference, I was really, really impressed. This is a great conference. And I don’t say that lightly. This is a great conference. It would be worth skipping National to attend, because it has the added bonus of being right beside you know where. (Read my last blog if that makes no sense).

One of the great things was catching up with two of my favorite Avon friends, Julia Quinn, Kathryn Smith. Here they … Read more »

Let me just get that up front and center. I LOVE NYC. I always have. I find it enormously fascinating, always interesting, and surprising on every corner. So when I got the chance to speak at the New Jersey Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book Conference, I was thrilled–because I knew it meant I could go you-know-where.

Now my husband doesn’t get nor understand my love affair with NYC, so I took my son, Nicholas with me. He’s been pestering me to take him to New York since he was four. Yes, four. I promised him way back … Read more »

By the time this posts, I’ll be in NYC and then off to the New Jersey Romance Writers, Put Your Heart in a Book Conference. I’m speaking Saturday afternoon on How to Write a Synopsis. I’ll warn anyone who is thinking of coming to my workshop, I intend to put new emphasis on the word “work” in workshop. Come prepared to work. Hard.

Julia Quinn is coming to the conference and we were joking the other day that while we live in the same town, we only really get to see each other when we leave Seattle to … Read more »

I love bumper stickers. I’d probably have my car covered with them if it weren’t for my husband who finds them abhorrent. So I enjoy bumper wisdom wherever I find it and occasional I see a bumper sticker that just resonates. This was one of them:

Wag More,
Bark Less.

It was just a little black and white square stuck to the back of a non-descript little old beat up car, and I just stared at it. It took me a moment to get it. I was like, Wag what? Then I got it. And I smiled. And I loved … Read more »

A lot of writers have some very personal and some splashy and some just private ways of celebrating when a new book gets released. When Love Letters from a Duke hit the NY Times extended list, I celebrated by buying the espresso machine I’d been dying to own–a De Longhi Magnifica. I have to say that was the first time I’d ever done anything extravagant over one of my books. And I admit I felt really guilty about buying it (even at a steal on eBay) until I poured in the first pound of beans and it made me a … Read more »