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Sorry, I Just Think It’s Weird—House of the Dragon, updates on a new book, a reunion & Italy
Thoughts on House of the Dragon’s Casting Last Sunday night on House of the Dragon, they replaced the two actresses who played Raenyra (Milly Alcock) and Alicent (Emily Carey) with two other actresses as ten years had passed between the previous episode and Sunday night’s. The switch was jarring—they didn’t look or act like the previous characters. I’m sorry, I just think it’s weird in today’s era of movie making that they would choose to do this—films age characters all the time. What’s even stranger is that Matt Smith who plays Daemon, continues in his role, looking no older than before despite the passage of 10 years. As well, Paddy…
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The Good Things (and people) That Come From Instagram
When I completed my MFA in Creative Writing in 2011, for years afterward I felt a void with regard to my writing and garnering input from fellow writers. I yearned to be in a writer’s group – a critique group – where likeminded authors shared their work and offered and received feedback. Two and a half years ago, I was invited into a group of fellow writers, people I’ve connected with through Instagram. I’ve been interacting with these women virtually since then, as we are writers from all over the United States, with one member in the United Kingdom. Not only are we all writers, but we are all published…
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Does Mystery Love Company? Let’s hope so…
I’ll be heading to the Eastern Shore and one of my favorite towns, Oxford, next Saturday to visit Mystery Loves Company for a book signing for The Letters in the Books from noon – 2 p.m. Oxford also happens to be the setting of my third novel, Inn Significant, and this will be my second time visiting Mystery Loves Company. I’ll have copies of that book, Little Milestones (which is set in Oxford and St. Michaels), and of course, copies of my newest release. And while my novel isn’t a mystery, it’s set in Annapolis, and there is one element of “surprise” or “mystery” to the book. Without spoiling it,…
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The Death of Cursive and the Repercussions
According to an article by Christopher Bergland in Psychology Today, “accumulating evidence suggests that not learning cursive handwriting may hinder the brain’s optimum potential to learn and remember.” Thank you for validating what we educators have been saying for years: students remember material better when they take longhand notes rather than type into a computer. I’ve preached it. If you had a me as a professor, you know that I’ve shared these findings with you. Mind you, I’m not discounting the importance and relevance of digital devices, I’m merely focused on retention of information via handwritten notes. In study after study, the results are in: there is a direct correlation…
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A Nutty Story as a Metaphor for Life
Two weeks ago, I couldn’t see straight, and I got tied up in knots about something. So let’s start at the beginning and make it really quick. Two years ago, in an effort to make our front lawn look as good as possible, we decided to have the lawn replaced and sodded. The sodding looked great, and it was refreshing to see a front lawn free of weeds and the dreaded nutsedge that had enveloped our lawn for several years. Nutsedge is a nuisance. If you don’t know what it is, it looks like long pieces of grass, but thicker, that grow above and beyond your normal grass. It sticks…
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The Annual Birthday Post: You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks. Or Can You?
And so another birthday has landed on my doorstep. I’m sitting here staring at the empty page, trying to come up with something clever and snarky to write for my annual birthday blog post. The cursor blinks. I curse it. Wait. Something has come to me. A retrospective of sorts. Since last year’s birthday, a lot has happened. Let me attempt to recount the changes that have occurred in our lives over the past year without boring you to death. 1—I underwent hip replacement surgery two weeks after my birthday last year. It’s been a year-long road to recovery. Initially, while I was healing, my SI-joint went out of whack,…
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Do You Google While You Watch? And other thoughts…
I was thinking about the shows that my husband and I tend to watch on television. Most of them require me to Google while I watch, meaning they are typically rooted in some sort of reality or history, and we’re often pausing the television as we search to see how much of it is true. Do you do this, too? The benefit of online access is that we can check dates, facts, people’s names and histories, etc. The problem is, we need to know which credible sources we can turn to in times of our curiosity and which ones are accurate. One of the things I’ve prided myself on all…
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Book Reviews Are Coming In: Here’s what readers are saying
I can’t thank my friends, family, and readers enough for all the help you’ve given me to spread the word about The Letters in the Books. The two and a half years I’ve spent working on this novel is paying off for me personally, simply by seeing the support you have given me this past week. I’m touched, humbled, and so glad the book is now in your hands. Below, I’m sharing a little about the novel and some of the early reviews that have come in. Since people are always asking me how they can help, here are three ways you can help independent authors: 1- Talk the book…
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Thank You All!!!
Yesterday, I shared these videos on social media. We had a great book launch, and the novel reached number 9 in “hot new releases” on Amazon in the contemporary fiction category. I am just thrilled! Thank you to everyone who helped me launch this book, including my ARC readers and social media pals. My Facebook friends were tremendous! I’m so appreciative! Thank you for playing a part in getting The Letters in the Books into readers’ hands.
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Book Launch! The Letters in the Books Now Available
Good morning, sunshines! I have been waiting for weeks to be able to say that The Letters in the Books is now available. It’s also probably fair to say that I worked harder on this book than any of the previous ones. After two and a half years, I can finally say this project is done. Writing from the perspectives of five main characters–two men and three women–was cumbersome and a lot of fun. Setting the novel in Annapolis once again was a thrill. I can honestly say I don’t do this for the money, for any recognition, or for any other reason except that it fills a creative niche…
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The Smell of Coffee in the Morning
Last week, I was in my bathroom and could smell the scent of coffee wafting through the house, through the vents. My son was home, spending his last week as a “kid” in our home before he moved into his new grown-up apartment in Annapolis, and he had made his cup of coffee. He and I are the only coffee drinkers in the house. I’ll miss that scent—and him—when he’s gone. They say the sense of smell takes you back in time faster than any of the other senses. I know it’s true. It happens to me all the time. How about you? Moreover, I often associate the smell of…
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One Week to the Publication of The Letters in the Books
Dear Eva, Lily, Reid, Dimitri, and Meg, It seems our time together has come to an end. The five of you have been living inside my head for more than two years now. It’s been a wonderful journey, but I’m afraid it’s time to let you go. As the world is spinning out of control and there are a lot of horrible things happening out there, it was a pleasure to tell this story and remind people that there is goodness out there, and that people have the capacity to choose the path to kindness. I will not soon forget the time we have spent together. But all good things…
