Valentine's Day, 2021: Sadness, Dismay & Anger I had drafted a post for today about love and relationships, using a sappy poem my main character receives from her love interest on Valentine's Day. Then, last night I unearthed another dark side of publishing which broke my heart: Piracy. After reading multiple five-star reviews of Kristin…
A Good Book Warms the Soul. 2020 finished in as much of a blur as the rest of the year. Fall blended into Winter 2020 as I discovered new authors and returned to trusted favorites to ease my way into a New England winter. I traded the beach for mountains for daily walks and reps…
A well-read library is a well-toned mind. In a year marked by turmoil and uncertainty, I found reading sustained me to occupy my mind, body, and soul. From my favorite genre, historical fiction, to non-fiction to biographies to young adult, my reading list this year varied and held my interest to initiate thoughtful discussions. Below…
2020 Year in Review of my writing journey. From edits to agent queries.
Just in time for the official opening of the holiday shopping season. Whether you're tying on your walking shoes and hooking a mask over your ears for Black Friday store sales, flexing your fingers for Cyber Monday, or planning to help out local independent stores on Small Business Saturday, I hope the following tips give…
Eliza's Story Submission Jar Today, October 21, 2020 is the day. The first bead sits at the bottom of my submission jar. I've polished my manuscript of Eliza's story as far as I can at this point thanks to: Five reams of paper and two boxes of red pens across seven draftsTwo writing conferencesTwo rounds…
Fall is here. The holidays are around the corner, which means it's time to start thinking about gift lists. For me, books are a favorite to give and receive. I hope you find a few to add to your lists among the books I read these past few months (reviews below). Other book recommendations, including…
Did you know September is Women in Medicine Month? What an incredible journey women have traveled and accomplishments they've made since my MC Eliza graduated from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1901. At that point, less than 5% of all physicians were women. In 2017, the percentage of U.S. medical school students hit…
Opinion please - What's the best part of a memorable book club meeting? The wine served or the book discussion generated? Be honest. A glass, or two, of a good wine may get a discussion flowing, but for me, a successful meeting comes down to how many different comments and viewpoints surfaced. Thanks to many…
Another successful themed book club afternoon in the "books". I was eager to host this August to take full advantage of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment's ratification. Today's celebration falls between last week's August 18th - the day Tennessee became the 36th state to vote in favor which at the time provided…
