Today I thought I’d address one of the common questions authors receive: “How many hours a day do you write?” What do you think? Do authors spend eight hours a day writing as in most other professions? Or do they stay up all night burning the midnight oil? Or do they sit down and dash off chapters in no time flat? Before you read the following answers, make a guess in your own mind, or share in … [Read more...]

To me, choosing the setting for a novel is like designing an effective stage for the “actors” (in my case, fictional characters) to perform or live out the drama to come. My new novel, The Sisters of Sea View (December 2022) is Book One in a new series called ON DEVONSHIRE SHORES. I liked the setting and characters so much, I decided to stay there for at least two more novels. While I … [Read more...]

Lately I’ve been busy reviewing the final galleys (page proofs) for my next novel, The Sisters of Sea View. Next time I see these pages, they will be in a printed book! I’m very eager for you to read it come December 2022 (U.S.) and hopefully soon after in other parts of the world. In the meantime, I’m excited to share with you that The Sisters of Sea View will contain a map! I’ve had maps in … [Read more...]

This past weekend, I spoke to my local chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America about the inspiration and research for my latest novel, Shadows of Swanford Abbey. Today, I thought I’d share a portion of that information here as well. In writing a novel set in a former Medieval Abbey, I had to research the history of abbeys in general and along the way learned why there are so many … [Read more...]

Last week I met author-friends Michelle Griep (Missouri) and Erica Vetsch (Minnesota) for a writing retreat in Pella, Iowa. We stayed in an Airbnb for a few days and wrote together, ate together, and laughed together. Pella is a charming town, settled by immigrants from the Netherlands in the 1840s who had fled religious persecution in their own country. They called their new home Pella, … [Read more...]