Vacation Days
Vacation. She smiled when she said the word out loud. Uttered it again into the breeze, tasting the word as it floated back in her direction. Vacation. So much potential in one eight-letter word. Ice cream. Sand. Taffy. Long walks up the hills and down again. Bullfrogs at the pond. Grilling on the patio and…
Read MoreAn Interview with Mary Camarillo
Like many of the authors I speak with, 2021 Debuts author Mary Camarillo is one I’d love to meet in person. Her author photo is inviting, her own backstory is varied, and her debut novel, The Lockhart Women, features all three points of view of fascinating women (plus I love her short stories and essays).…
Read MoreAn Interview with Frank M. Oliva
Being a part of the 2021 Debuts group has allowed me to meet so many new authors. One of those is Frank M. Oliva, an author out of Long Island, New York, whose debut novel, Walking Among the Trees, launches on June 22. The book has been described as “a gripping journey through past sins…
Read MoreCelebrating Women’s Fiction Day!
UPDATE! Sally S. and Jennifer S. are winners! I’ll contact them via email. Thanks for participating! Welcome to Women’s Fiction Day! In 2019, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) established the day “to celebrate the authors, stories, readers, bookstores, and fans of the women’s fiction genre.” I’m a grateful member of WFWA, and I am…
Read MoreAn Interview with Casey Dembowski
I’m a sucker for a good love story, so when I had the chance to read fellow 2021 Debuts author Casey Dembowski‘s When We’re Thirty, I jumped at the chance and fell in love with the story and Casey’s characters. And I’m not the only one. Meredith Schorr wrote, “This delightful contemporary romance stole my…
Read MoreTemperature Gauge
My husband is a hugger. (I’ve known this since I met him.) I am not a hugger, though with my children, I am. Those children seem to be the exception, and what I’ve noticed over the last several years especially—as I approach menopause and all the delights that go with it—is that I have very…
Read MoreAn Interview with Kate Campbell
Debut author Kate Campbell started writing her novel, The Whisper of Calaresp, in 2012, the same year I began my own. So, I felt a kinship with her right from the beginning. Come to find out she’s an animal lover, blogger, and book reviewer, and I’m convinced that if we met someday in person, we’d…
Read MoreAn Interview with Amanda Johnson
Fellow 2021 Debuts author Amanda Johnson and I have something in common: we both put off the pursuit of a dream for something practical that could make money. For me, that was writing. For her, that was acting. But now, Amanda is an actor and a writer with “twenty years of storytelling experience” in different…
Read MoreWomen’s Fiction Day 2021 is Coming Soon!
Women’s Fiction Day is coming on June 8, 2021! What is Women’s Fiction Day, you ask? Let me tell you! In 2019, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) established the day “to celebrate the authors, stories, readers, bookstores, and fans of the women’s fiction genre.” I’m a grateful member of WFWA, and I am thrilled…
Read MoreAn Interview with Lee Reinecke
In April I received an email from an author requesting I read and review her book. So many generous folks have helped spread the word about my own writing, so I happily said yes. And I’m glad I did. Peeling Away the Facade: The Long Shadow of Child Abuse is Lee Reinecke‘s first book, a…
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