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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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Launching Little Milestones AND NaNoWriMo in one Evening on Campus
It’s been an unbelievably busy and exciting week! Launching LITTLE MILESTONES has been a thrill! I am so happy it’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and I’m doubly thrilled to be launching #NaNoWriMo this Tuesday on campus. It’s our third year of promoting writing on campus and getting students thinking about writing their own stories, be it fiction, nonfiction, or memoir. Students can also think about creating their stories on Wattpad or via a blog. When I was the age of my students, I would sit in class and dream of publishing something one day. At that time, you had to find an agent or publisher, or you…
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It’s Been A Helluva Week & A Little Milestone Is In The Books
The life of a writer: Wake up. Think about your writing. Edit your writing. Worry your novel isn’t good enough. Edit some more. Worry some more. Write more and delete more and rewrite the damn thing. Pretend like you don’t actually talk to your characters like a lunatic. Drink a lot of coffee and curse a lot of curses. Write. Edit. Write. Edit. Publish. Celebrate. Collapse. In all seriousness, I do want to collapse. And I’m just starting to think about the “celebrate” part, but I’m not quite there yet. Next week on campus, on Tuesday evening, we will officially LAUNCH my new novel, LITTLE MILESTONES, in conjunction with National…
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Launching LITTLE MILESTONES Today, my newest novel…
*** Okay, my friends, today, my newest novel, LITTLE MILESTONES is official and is on the market through Amazon (coming in days to Barnes & Noble). While this is not a true sequel to Inn Significant, it does tap into those characters as they become a part of Little Milestones and the lives of Olivia and Nan. The new book is set in beautiful St. Michaels, Maryland, and as you may have surmised, I have a slight obsession with the Eastern Shore. There are also some scenes in Annapolis because I love my home state so much. * I think of all the books I’ve written, this one has made…
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Book Launch – Day Two Promo
It’s been over 24 hours since the book launch, and since then, I’ve heard words of congratulations, encouragement, and a few people who say I inspire them to tackle their own writing projects. These sentiments couldn’t make me happier. I hope I’ve inspired others to write and publish. That makes my day! Because there are 22 stories in the collection, and because I want to showcase them each in their own way, I’m going to share each story’s promo from The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry. I’m also busy setting up my press room on the site which will contain information about me and my books. Here’s today’s…
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BIG NEWS! Book Launch Today! The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry
THE POSTCARD AND OTHER SHORT STORIES & POETRY- available NOW! Three years later, and today is the day. It’s a strange feeling to let this work go, because I’ve been holding on to all of it for far too long. At my father’s suggestion, I decided to put all of this work I’ve created over the years into one collection. I’ve included little stories to warm your heart or make you feel less alone; compiled a little book to take with you on vacation for summer reading; created something you can tackle and finish because the stories are all short, so you can read at your leisure. It took a…
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What Matters Most: Reflecting
When you’re about to launch another book into the universe, you have to keep yourself grounded. You can’t set your expectations too high, and you can’t set them too low. You have to keep your feet firmly planted where they are and do the best that you can to spread the word about your books and your writing because it is all about choices: you have chosen this path of self-publishing. When I begin to become frenzied and nervous, I remind myself over and over again why I do this type of challenging work on the side and why I invest so much time in it. I have to remember…
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Some Highlights & Appreciation
This past week began with a bang as viewers were treated to another outstanding episode of Downton Abbey. With Robert’s bloody collapse at the dinner table, we were left wondering if all will be okay in the great house in England. If you are like my family and me and are becoming sadder and sadder with each passing episode because there are only a few episodes left of this A+ show, you can become even more filled with grief because when it is over, you will no longer be able to read the wonderfully entertaining recaps written by Joe Heim at The Washington Post. Each Monday, my father, mother, and…
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It’s Not Pinterest, But It’s My Pin Board
* * * Dear Readers, Today I spent the morning cleaning my office at home. I’ve been trying to write a short story, and it’s tough to be inspired in a cluttered mess. The disaster in the office is the result of a busy and rewarding semester, in addition to the chaos of getting my book published and promoting it. I had little time to organize it, and the piles just built up. Trust me: it really, really, really needed to be dissected. This resulted in some great finds; I took some time to reflect on the lovely cards and well-wishes people have sent me over the last few months…
