It’s been more than a month since my cupcake celebration for finishing my latest first draft. It took great self-control to let the draft sit for that long, but I filled the time with critiques for other writers, a major contest, and a revision to DUET. But finally, this week it was time to start…
MMGM: THE PARADISE TRAP
As anyone who’s familiar with my work knows, I’m a fan of alternate realities, so the premise of THE PARADISE TRAP caught my attention as soon as I read the blurb. I’m happy to say it fulfilled all of my expectations and then some. I couldn’t put this book down because I couldn’t wait to…
When Is It Time to Revise?
There’s a time to query. There’s a time to wait. There’s a time to … revise? I started querying DUET WITH THE DEVIL’S VIOLIN in April, entered a little contest called The Writers Voice in May, queried a bit more for the first two weeks in June, then decided to wait. You see, I had…
MMGM: THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY
I picked up this book expecting to find a fun mystery and realized almost immediately it was so much more. After reading THE LONDON EYE MYSTERY, I’m not surprised it won several awards when it came out in 2007. I’m so glad it was one of the e-books available when I started browsing my local…
Reader Appreciation Award!
Thanks to Kip Wilson Rechea for tagging me in her Reader Appreciation Award post and passing it along! Kip was the very first reader of DUET WITH THE DEVIL’S VIOLIN and gave me excellent feedback. We met through Twitter when I put out a call for beta readers. She responded, and I’m so glad because…
MMGM: THE SECOND SPY
I’m so excited to share this book with you today because it’s the third in a series I really love. I’ve been waiting for the library to get on the ball and get this book in for two months. I even made a special trip to get it the day it came in. So really…
CINDER and Why I Never Get Tired of Cinderella Stories
It’s been a while since I read two books in four days, but it happened this week. I’ll cover the first one in my MMGM post on Monday, but the second one isn’t MG, so I won’t wait to gush about it. I’d seen a number of reviews about CINDER, but it was actually Marissa…
MMGM: HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO
Since my novel features the Devil in the title, it seemed appropriate for me to read HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO. I was intrigued by the premise, and once I started reading, I thought it was just so darn clever … but I’ll leave that for my five things I loved. First, here’s the…
Contests, Contests Everywhere
The other day I participated in a Q&A for @MissDahlELama, and one of the questions she asked was: What are your feelings on participating in contests, and what are your favorite kinds? I thought this was a particularly interesting question, especially with the crazy amount of contests going on at the moment. You’ll probably be…
MMGM: THE BILLIONAIRE’S CURSE
When I saw the title for this book, I knew I had to read it. You see, one of many titles I brainstormed for my earlier manuscript was THE BILLIONAIRE’S CURSE. It would have fit perfectly in many ways, but alas, it was already taken by Richard Newsome. I haven’t covered much middle grade adventure…
Cupcakes for Everyone! The First Draft Is Finished!
Ok, I can’t actually give everyone cupcakes, but that’s what my husband took me out for to celebrate finishing my latest first draft. Lucky for me he worked from home today! This is the cupcake I selected. My followers know how much I hate writing a first draft. I had a particularly hard time with…
Gearing Up To Get An Agent Meet and Greet
If you’re looking for my Marvelous Middle Grade Monday review for today, scroll down and read about SEEING CINDERELLA. If, however, you’re here as part of the GUTGAA Meet and Greet, welcome! The rules call for a mini bio, so here goes. I spent 10 years as a PR manager promoting everything from forklift rodeos…
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog, where I offer writing tips and share thoughts about reading, my writing journey, and other random stuff. If you subscribe, you’ll also receive news about my books and upcoming events. Check out the categories in the sidebar to narrow down some of my older blog posts, including book reviews, or if you’re a writer pursuing traditional publication, visit my Resources page for more targeted links. If there’s something I haven’t tackled on the blog that you’d like me to address—including questions about my books!—please contact me and I’ll do my best.
Currently Reading
