My Blog

A book can be that kind, understanding friend.

A Talk With Dr. Kathleen Trainor About Tackling Anxiety in Our Kids

A Talk With Dr. Kathleen Trainor About Tackling Anxiety in Our Kids Do you ever wish for the right words to say or things to do when your child is feeling anxious? You know, the magic words that will calm...
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Just the beginning

WOOHOO – was the feeling that wrapped my entire body when I heard my agent Trish say the words I’d been waiting so long to hear, “You’ve got a book deal!” Then I screamed and cried and hugged and cried...
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Grateful

With Thanksgiving days away, I divide my time between my kitchen and computer.  Write. Cook. Write. Cook. Repeat.  As I chop, dice, prep // plot, type, delete, I think. A lot. Sometimes my mind trails to finding the right balance...
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Kidlit Summer School

So I’ll be doing this for the next four weeks!  Kidlit Summer School. What could be better than diving into a little character development over the summer? Who wants to join me?
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RV’s, Doctors, Lawyers, Crossword Masters…Oh my!

  What does an RV trailer dealer, a crossword puzzle master, a doctor, and a lawyer have in common? (And this is the not the start of a bad joke!) These were all the people I spoke with to research my...
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Living outside the comfort zone

Reading my work aloud is like standing in front of a room full of people stark naked. And, at the age of 48, I can assure you that’s not happening.  But recently, in Vermont at a retreat with my EMLA...
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Think Positive

  Write.  Delete. Revise. Write. Delete. Revise. Repeat. Sound familiar? Whether I write with coffee at 6am, when the house quiets at 10pm, or in car line waiting to pick up one of my boys (did this a lot during...
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What’s your favorite part of the process?

Last leg of revision.  Time to read and reread and then do it all over again.  This is my favorite part of the process. When I’m almost there.  When I can read my story from start to finish and can see that...
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Meet my 100-year-old inspiration, I call Gram

  Meet my 100-year-old inspiration, I call Gram. At her tallest (which is not now) she was 4’10”.  Proof that inspiration comes in small packages. Until she was 99 ½, she worked every day. Every day.  She put her butt...
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Working like a dog

Working like a dog all day.  Revising. Revising. Revising. What’s happening today at your desk? coffee shop? kitchen table?  
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What’s the Point?

What’s the point?  I ask myself this question often. It keeps me focused while I write, and to be honest, while I live.  I’m the kind of gal who likes to understand and identify my purpose, my goals and my motivations. ...
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What are you afraid of?

  Fear.  Nothing paralyzes or re-routes me like fear.  Bungee jumping – not happening. Snakes – I’ll take the long way down the mountain.  You get the point.  So, while attending the VCFA writers’ retreat at Vermont College (huge shout...
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Guilt

  Guilt.  It swallows you up, then spits you back out.  We all know the weight, the angst, the twisting gut that attaches with guilt.  I’ve recently spent a lot of time with guilt. My latest revisions center around the...
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Got Community?

When does being alone not feel lonely?   Writing, as we know, is a solitary sport. I create, write, edit, revise and begin again, alone in my office with my dog Oscar.  Thus, the logical conclusion is that I feel alone.  But, that’s...
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Good News! Give and Take (Farrar Straus Giroux)

Coming 2019!