It’s been something of a wild week around here. My new book, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, came out on Tuesday. Check out this display. It’s a lovely feeling to see multiple titles! I made a phenomenal dinner that night (it was also the Viking’s birthday): perfectly grilled steak with blue cheese, twice baked potatoes, asparagus […]

I’m undercover. Collecting material for another Baltimore crime book. In Baltimore. At one of the most…no wait…the most revered and respected hospital in the nation.
How did I gain access to the behind-the-scenes scoop? The sensations and moods and details that can only come from being entrenched really, really deeply?
I got a […]

Have you ever had a bookstore craving?
You know, the intense desire to roam aimlessly through the aisles, browsing titles and scanning flap copy.
Last week I had it bad.
Since our move, I’m getting adjusted to the new area and the new area is. . . rural. Or, more accurately, it feels rural. We’re […]

A few weeks ago, I blogged about rejection and how those lousy little form letters can suck the motivation out of a writer. If they let it happen.
There’s no doubt perseverance and determination are key in reaching one’s goals. But, sometimes, maintaining that drive is easier said than done. In fact, I’m willing to bet […]

So…late Friday afternoon I’m finishing up a novella — that is coincidentally DUE that evening — and four lines to go — I mean, literally FOUR lines to go — my computer crashes.
Blue screen, large white font spelling disaster in no uncertain terms and in type large enough to be suitable for reading by idiots. […]

So, so happy this week.
My bedroom is gorgeous. Stunning. Breathtaking. Everything I wanted it to be. It was even worth the primer and FOUR subsequent coats of paint. Yes, I decided it needed an extra one. I’d post pictures, but some things are better left to the imagination, particularly when it comes to dens of […]

I like bubble gum. I have a distinct memory of walking barefoot, over the sand-dusted streets from our rented cabin on Chincoteague Island, all the way to the little corner store every day. I must have been less than seven and, back then, a piece of Double Bubble bubblegum (the kind with the […]

After a couple of time-stamped posts, this week’s post is live. Yep, we made it across the county and the last two weeks have been a blur of unpacking boxes, hanging curtains, and Wal-Mart runs for those things that you really can’t live without, but that the movers won’t pack, like Aunt Jemima syrup and […]

How do you define a hero?
Is it someone with Popeye-like muscles and nerves of steel? Or the kind of person who tirelessly devotes their time and resources to a worthy cause?
According to Dictionary.com, a hero is: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. An apt description, I’d […]

I’m just starting week seven of this writing for a living business (and it is a business). I still wake up with those butterflies in my stomach at the realization that I’m not driving into work. I feel a little guilty and a lot nervous — but so incredibly happy.
And the writing is going […]