One of the downsides of being a writer, I think, is the fact that we can become hyper-critical as readers and filmgoers. It’s so much harder for me to get totally absorbed in [...]

I follow a bunch of writing blogs–nearly 2000 now. And each time I find another writing blog out there (I’ll click a new follower’s link on Twitter, I’ll click a link in someone’s [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

Twice in the last month, I’ve had someone say to me, “I’ve always wanted to write a book. But I just don’t know where to start.” I think writing a book can seem [...]

I’m sure that my 14 year old son would like to correct anyone who thinks it’s cool to have a writer for a mom. :) I was reading through his research paper before [...]

I went out last weekend with my husband, sister and brother-in-law for dinner and to watch the musical “Avenue Q.” It was a really funny play—sort of a risqué puppet show. As silly [...]

Some writers I know bask in the writing process, savoring the time spent crafting a novel as the seconds turn into minutes turn into weeks (and months…and years). For them, writing is a [...]

Now that I’ve brought up a drawback to the Kindle (which I believe will be quickly ironed out in future generations of the product), I thought I’d write a little on one unexpected [...]

I had coffee with a friend of mine last week. She’s also a big reader—now almost exclusively on the Kindle. She’s currently reading a novel for our book club. “Let me tell you,” [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

My son is interested in guitar lessons so I called up a teacher that our friends were using for their son’s lessons. The guitarist and I talked for a little while about scheduling [...]

The book club meeting went really well yesterday—there was a great group in attendance and the museum where we were meeting was a great facility. The format was for me to give a [...]

I have to admit that I enjoy reading author acknowledgments. These days, a book is really a collaborative effort between a lot of different people operating behind the scenes. At least, these folks [...]

I’ve been absolutely slammed with activity the last couple of weeks and it doesn’t look like it’s letting up until maybe another week down the road. I was running errands on Monday when [...]

In a couple of days, I’m speaking to a book club about my book, Pretty is as Pretty Dies. It’s been a bit of a busy week with field trips, birthday parties, and [...]

On Saturday, my son had a paintball party for his 14th birthday. The paintball fields were run by a company in a rural area about 45 minutes from Charlotte. While we were out [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

I was a chaperone all day Thursday for the 4th grade field trip to Raleigh, North Carolina, our state capital. It was a long day, but a lot of fun.  The kids in [...]

I thought I’d do a post on mystery writing, since I haven’t for a while. If you’re a mystery writer, be sure to add your own random thoughts on mystery writing below. If [...]

When I was a kid, I loved the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. Do you remember those books? Basically, each book would tell a riveting story—you’re in a time machine, you’re back in [...]

This is a little bit of a departure from what I usually blog about, but I think it’s a subject that’s important to most writers. I was out late Tuesday night (past my [...]

Yesterday it was time for me to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles to renew my driver’s license (fun-fun!) For anyone not living in the States, just imagine your most-un-favorite bland, government-related [...]

Are we getting wired differently because of modern distractions? I’m not sure, but I know that it’s hard for me to sit still for very long. I just get very restless. There are [...]

Here are writing links that I’ve posted to Twitter in the last week. I’m delighted that now we have an efficient method of locating resources on writing topics when you need them—via the [...]

I always enjoy hearing from my readers. In fact, my readers’ comments can really influence my writing. I’ve heard from a couple of readers since Pretty is as Pretty Dies was released in [...]

I think I’ve mentioned before that my writing is a fairly solo process up until my deadline. I really do look at my books as collaborative efforts between me, my agent, and the [...]

My daughter missed a week of school last week because she had a mysterious fever virus that wouldn’t go away. Most unfortunately, her 4th grade class learned how to simplify, compare, and order [...]

Today I’m over at “A Good Blog is Hard to Find,” blogging on some ways to keep motivated when you’d rather be looking out the window. Hope you’ll join me (and that you’re [...]

Last weekend I was heading to Anderson, SC, to visit my parents and have a radio interview with a local radio personality there. He’d told me just to contact him whenever I planned [...]

Recently, I spoke to an acquaintance of mine. She asked about my upcoming books, and I told her about the upcoming releases in June and November. “I’m both pleased for you and jealous [...]