Inspired by Life ... and Fiction

Novelists bound by the pen, sisterhood, & more

How to Create a Successful Launch Team

By

I’m just finishing up a month of celebrating the release of Come Back to Me, my first time-crossing novel. And I have to say, one of my favorite parts about a book release is having a launch team. Launch team, influencers, release crew. Whatever the name, the primary purpose of such a group is to help with an author’s marketing and publicity in exchange for a free book. Influencers are NOT the … [Read more...]

The Making of a Title

By

Before I started writing, I assumed that authors were in full control of things like titles and covers. Little did I know that there is an entire team of publishing professionals that weigh in on these kind of decisions. Self-published authors have much more autonomy, of course, but those of us who write for traditional publishing houses must remain flexible when it comes to titles, because they … [Read more...]

A New Home on the Web

By

I'm so excited to have a brand spanking new website that just launched this week! Savanna Kaiser did a beautiful job making the site coordinate with my newsletter design and the colorful book covers my husband has designed for me. Here's a little sneak peek: Isn't it pretty!? If you click on the image, you can link to the whole website, but first, let me tell you the history behind my … [Read more...]

California Road Trip

By

I was born and raised in southern California, but I'd never driven iconic highway 1 along California's coast. At some point, I began to feel sheepish about this. How can I not have done this? I NEED to experience this drive for myself! And so, last summer, I planned a Highway 1 road trip for our family of five. Then ended up having to cancel the trip thanks to Covid. This summer, I was twice … [Read more...]

Endorsements: what do they mean?

By

This week, Lynn H. Blackburn joined me on Book Talk, and one of the things we discussed was endorsements. We've endorsed books by each other (I endorsed her Unknown Threat because I'd read and loved her Dive Team Investigations books, and she endorsed Lethal Intent.). While we were talking about why we endorse, I thought you might find it interesting, too. If I'm taking the time to endorse a … [Read more...]

Reading Quirks

By

Hi friends, I always love spending a day with you! I think all readers have reading quirks or habits. How we handle our books, when we read, where we read, and how we save our spot, of which I have numerous ways. The traditional bookmark. My girls and I have an affinity for Llamas. It all started when a dear writing friend flew in for some hang out and write time, but her luggage was lost. … [Read more...]

Birthday Treats

By

I have been going to Dairy Queen on my birthday for about 50 years. It’s a simple, sweet tradition that started when I was seven years old in central Illinois (the same year I received my lime green 3-speed bicycle). The first Dairy Queen opened in 1940 in Joliet, IL, not far from Chicago, where I was born.  Dairy Queen’s international headquarters is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, near … [Read more...]

Summer Reading Program

By

When I was a girl, our village library offered a summer reading program. We were each given a chart with colorful stickers to keep track of all the books we read over the summer. There were prizes for the kid in each age group who read the most books—usually a book, of course. How I loved to see that chart filled with stickers! But I couldn’t cheat—my mother was the librarian, so she knew if I was … [Read more...]

Recent Posts