There are few things that give me more pleasure than totally immersing myself in (a) reading a book, and (b) writing a book. Reading has saved me in many ways. It’s made me smarter, more empathetic, more worldly, and a better writer. It’s given me a sense of purpose. As a youngster, I was too…
Tag: reading
Why I Bought the Bumblebee Tights
If you’ve seen Me Before You or read the novel by Jojo Moyes, you know what the bumblebee tights are all about, right? In the book and film, the bumblebee tights symbolize Louisa’s independence—and her vivacious spirit—that which Will encourages her to fully embrace and to, in his words, “live boldly.” After I read the…
We’re Always Getting Ready to Live But Never Living
“We’re always getting ready to live, but never living.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson I picked up this little, tiny, tiny book at the library last week called “The Law of Attraction Plain and Simple: Create the Extraordinary Life That You Deserve” by Sonia Ricotti. I can’t explain what made me grab it and check it…
Bucket List Item – Staying at the “Real” Inn Significant
*** Tomorrow, my birthday wish will come true, thanks to my husband. When he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I told him I wanted to stay at the Sandaway Suites & Beach in the quaint, Eastern Shore town of Oxford, Maryland. It just so happens that it’s the real-life inn that inspired my…
Goodbyes. Gripping Pain. And a Giveaway.
*** Hi there! I feel as if I’ve been away from my blog for a while, and I actually have, although it’s been entirely unintentional. Today, I wanted to explain why, especially as I wanted to write about the past week, which has been somewhat momentous for my family. My son started his freshman year…
Book Vlog (I prefer to call it a chat) About My Books—Available for Book Clubs
When you have friends ask you what your books are about, you realize you have some work to do to better promote and explain the novels you’ve written. In this video, I give a short overview of my four published fiction books, including my most recent release, published just three weeks ago. (Sorry about the…
Fashion & Fiction: Why I NEED Some Bumble Bee Tights. Now.
I open my closet. It’s a sea of black clothing. Black pants. Black tops. Black skirts. Black dresses. Even black jeans. I wonder what in the hell I’m doing wearing black all the time. I know I’m a writer, and writers love to wear black, but this is getting absurd. I have to fight to…
Rolling Out An Ad Campaign for The Postcard
One of the things I didn’t do well when I launched my three prior books was to create a social media ad campaign. Nowadays, it’s imperative that we do this–to help spread the word about our work. And as my fellow writers who undertake this challenge can attest, it’s about writing, editing, producing, and then…
Wednesday Wardrobe & The Blue Angels: The Petite Professor
* For those of us who live in the Annapolis area, today’s a big day. Huge. It should be declared a holiday in Anne Arundel County where the Naval Academy is situated on the grounds of Annapolis in the city because the Blue Angels fly as part of graduation week. All of us, whether we…
“Your stories give me hope,” she said.
* “Your stories give me hope,” the woman said to me when she told me how much she liked Inn Significant. “Where do you get your inspiration?” she asked. I told her I get my inspiration from people—mostly from people I know or I’ve loved along the way in my life. “You are an…
Compare Yourself to a Hopeless Romantic
Do you believe this? This is the prompt I got handed today. COMPARE YOURSELF TO A HOPELESS ROMANTIC. But I AM a bloody hopeless romantic, so I can’t compare myself to myself! Look—some people know they are certain ways. For example, someone who’s a realist looks at the world through that lens—the lens of realism….
How My READING BOOKS Poll Stacks Up Against (pun intended) Official Polls
Let’s Talk About Books & Reading We just completed the third week of the spring semester, and as is typical as I begin to talk about writing and reading in classes and asking students questions, I can get a little depressed when I realize how few students are reading books for pleasure these days. With…
