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Mad Woman: A Visit from the PM Fairy

Warning: This post is 0% about writing or books, and 100% about life as a middle-aged female. Keep scrolling to other blogs if that isn’t your thing.

Novel editing – done!

This weekend, I ignored the beautiful weather outside as much as I could and planted my butt in chair for two full days of solid editing.

Things My Haters Love

When I published my first book, I wasn’t a newbie to public critiques. I worked for a newspaper and wrote a column on parenting – two places where trolls live in the comments section. I knew how horrible people could be, and had developed a somewhat thick skin over it. Don’t get me wrong, it never feels good when someone publicly blasts your parenting decisions or even your children. But you just have to keep reminding yourself that trolls feed on creating a reaction. Delete, and move on. It’s different with reviews, though…

Novel research in Joshua Tree

Last weekend, my husband and I took a road trip to Joshua Tree as a weekend getaway and research for my next novel. Our trip to the desert included wind, rats, and big beautiful Joshua Trees, plus a few unexpected surprises….

How my husband inspired the romantic side of Sonny in For the Birds

Because February is the month of love, I decided to focus my blog’s attention on Sonny, the Scottish heartthrob of For the Birds who owns Cricket’s heart. And today’s blog entry is about the inspiration behind Sonny’s romantic side: my husband.

What I read in January

Here’s what I read this month, plus one addictive thing that kept me from reading as fast as usual.

The quirky habits of Cricket Stone

In my upcoming novel, For the Birds, main character Cricket Stone has a super quirky habit. Warning: it’s spicy!

Headphones plugged into an iPhone on a desk

It started with a song… The inspiration behind For the Birds

This past year, I went through a bit of a writing slump. When I say a bit, what I really mean was that I was ready to throw in the towel because the book I was working on was bringing me zero joy, and I felt like I was out of ideas. And then, inspiration hit me out of left field in the form of a quarantine album, specifically one of the songs on the album.

Meet Cricket Stone, the main character of For the Birds

Who is Cricket, exactly? What does she do for a living? How old is she? Where does she live? What are her quirks? These are all the thing I needed to figure out before I even started writing For the Birds.

Tiffanie DeBartolo, author of Sorrow

Book Crush: Sorrow, by Tiffanie DeBartolo

DeBartolo took my breath away and shattered my heart when I read her other book, God Shaped Hole, and so I went into Sorrow knowing I’d be changed. I had no idea how much, though.

My contest winning submission: Big Trees

This short story is one I entered in “Wish You Were Here,” a Redwood Writers contest about travel experiences. And guess what. I won first place! Read it here.

Short Story: The Tree Bed

Excerpt from my current novel in progress, For the Birds. While Meadow freshened up in the bathroom, I did a quick dust job of the canopy of branches over the bed, then changed the sheets. By the time she came out, the bed was turned down, the room bathed in the soft glow of our … Continue reading Short Story: The Tree Bed

What’s the Point of Writing?

If you’re a writer and ready to give up, read this first. I know you’re tired. I know you have times when you wonder what the point is. You wake up early, stare at that blank page, and aren’t sure why you even bother. You have things you want to say, but you’re afraid no one … Continue reading What’s the Point of Writing?

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