Writing

Maybe it was the crazy winter we just had.  Or the fact that my crocuses (croci?) were about a month behind schedule due to snow pack.  Or the United Nations report that said we are already at [...]

Keyless entry locks are great.  Until they’re not.  Much like so many things in life, I suppose. One of my first acts of husband-free independence was to install a keyless entry lock on my [...]

By far the best part of finally having my book out in the world is getting to talk to people about it.  And probably the best people to talk to about it are teenagers.  I love the honesty and [...]

Yesterday, on the 7th day of National Novel Writing Month, I went over the 10,000 word mark in my 60,000 word novel.  I’m just 2,000 words shy of being at 20% complete.  Yay me! There is a [...]

What an amazing weekend I’ve had so far!  This Friday I was invited to speak at TC Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia.  Later I signed books at Hooray for Books in Alexandria. [...]

2,010 words.  And not many more to wring out of myself tonight.  I was sure I wasn’t going to be able to do it, but I consistently forget what a stubborn old bird I am when I’ve [...]

Okay, so I’m a total geek.  We’ve established this.  Due to this total geekdom, I may from time to time click on links and surf the Googles and find out new things about my book. [...]

Today was Day 1 of my “Write 2,000 Words Every Day” challenge for National Novel Writing Month.  I wrote 1,139 on my novel, although if you count the two blog posts I wrote this [...]

I now have a location for the Writers Digest Conference where I’ll be participating on a panel on August 2nd.  It will be at The Roosevelt Hotel. Also, check me out third from the top on [...]

Today begins National Novel Writing Month, a completely made up excuse for writers to pressure themselves and each other to write.  I’m so totally in! Here’s the deal: I have 27,000 [...]

There are many reasons to like OKCupid, the dating site created by Harvard students of SparkNotes fame.  It’s a fun and clever way to meet new people and attracts a brainier crowd that the [...]

I’m excited to announce that I’ve been invited to appear on a panel in the awesome Writers Digest mega-conference in August.  This is THE place to be for anyone who loves writing, so [...]

The Book Chic Club comes in with a wonderful review of THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY.  Click here to read more.

One of my favorite parts about being a debut author is being initiated into the world of working writers.  I have uncovered a realm beyond my imagination, where fellow authors hang out in chat [...]

My Dear Bibliophage calls THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY “real and relatable.”  What’s more, she gives a shout-out to what the title means.  I’ve been waiting for someone to [...]

Gwyneth Paltrow has been getting some flack for a phrase she used in her announcement about her split from her husband: conscious uncoupling.  People thought it sounded snooty and pretentious.  I [...]

I don’t know what I was thinking when I put on The Impossible, with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor.  Well, to be honest, I do know what I was thinking: Ewan McGregor is hot (not Ethan Hawke [...]

I was glad to see this reviewer focus on some of the less obvious aspects of THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY, including the protagonist’s sense of humor.  Yes, it’s an “issues” [...]

Beautiful insight by a teen reviewer. makes my heart smile. Click here.

So apparently TSSoE now has a page on Goodreads called “Books Like THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY.”  This must be some kind of milestone, because it didn’t used to before.  Not sure [...]

If you like free books, you’ll love Free Book Friday!  Every Friday they give away freesigned books.  The best part?  This Friday they’re giving away five autographed copies of THE [...]

I used to write about things.  I used to spout off my leftie opinions, get combative with the page, ruminate about the sky and the darkness, lilt lyrical about rain. And then my book happened. [...]

I loved seeing THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY at the top of this wonderful list of new novels this spring.  My fellow NJ author Lisa Colozza Cocca (whom you’ll be able to meet alongside me on May [...]

I sometimes worry that THE SECRET SIDE OF EMPTY won’t go as far as it could because readers might be reluctant to read an “issues book.”  I worked hard to make TSSoE not be [...]

This reviewer she’d a few years reading the book. Awww… hugs! Although I did once hear someone say that we read books to feel things. So I’m glad that, at least with this [...]

How weird is it to see a Q&A online about whether my book qualifies as “Latino” since I was technically born in Spain and not Latin America? Plenty weird. Click here.

What would you say to your teen self? Here’s what I would say to mine: click here

I am fascinated by True Detective, the HBO series that does a masterful job of character development. But I wish it had been a bit braver in its choice of female leads. The show is a dark crime [...]

What’s the weirdest thing on my desk?  That and other fascinating answers revealed in The Story Siren’s Debut Dish today.  Click here to read!

It begins, “Wow.”  (I think some of my favorite reviews are the ones that begin with, “Wow”).  It continues, “What an incredible story.” Click here to see what [...]