When I started writing my first manuscript several years ago, it was a career changing decision. I knew I’d approach becoming a long-term career author through the traditional route of finding the appropriate agent who would represent my work and sell me to a big name publishing house. Two mss later (I’m working on number […]
“Expect Great Things” is my new mantra for 2009. It was on a soup mug I received for Christmas. It’s such a simple statement, but think of the impact. Dream big, aim high, what do you have to lose? If you don’t take that first step and try, you can’t accomplish. Right? I’ve always been driven, […]
I must admit, I feel a bit guilty. I’m at the beach house and though it is a chilly 40 degrees, the sun is bright and the sky is a stunning crisp blue (same color as my hubby’s eyes). Not a cloud out there, the ocean swells create a gentle rhythmic rock as the palm trees rustle […]
Sadly, I brush sand from the bottom of my shoes. I just got back from my daily walk on the beach. The last one for a few weeks. We’re packing up the cats and heading back to St. Louis. The wind whipped my cheeks, the water crashed on shore as hundreds of birds dove into […]
I just got back from my writers retreat and the weekend award ceremony. What a fantastic week. First, working with my friend brings new energy to my work. We both got a lot accomplished and feel confident our WIP will be polished and ready for submission within two months! Huge progress. Thanks Lynn. Second, Saturday night at […]
I looked out the window this morning and realized Spring has arrived. The trees and bushes lining our street are bursting with white and pink flowers. It is gorgeous! The birds are chirping happily and the lawn will soon need to be cut. At the same time, I realized I’ve been so wrapped up in writing and submitting […]
Last year, Jo, a friend I met outside a workshop at a conference in Reno in 2005, invited me to attend a writer’s conference in Oklahoma City. OWFI turned out to be one of the best I’ve attended – spending time with a friend was awesome, too. I attended again this year, this past weekend. […]
A friend and I were talking the other day about the importance of ‘building memories’ – the things that stay with us in our hearts long after the actual moment has faded. As autumn blusters in, with the holidays literally just around the corner, one of my favorites comes to mind. Our son was 14 and […]
I flew into Newark on Friday to attend the NJRW, Put Your Heart in a Book, Conference. This would be my third year, and I was looking forward to a weekend of learning, pitching, and visiting with some of my favorite writer friends. As usual, my organized self, pulled up the web page, typed out the […]
I’ve had an awesome week – and it’s not done yet. I was asked to moderate a PRO bootcamp for RWA’s PRO-class. PRO’s in the organization are writers who have finished at least one manuscript and had the guts to send it out to agents and editors. Not yet, published, we have shown our tenacity […]