The other night I came into the bedroom, dropped onto the bed, and started clicking the TV remote, looking for something to watch while I rested. I don't even remember what channel I clicked, but suddenly there was the Lawrence Welk show, and the familiar walls of my bedroom seemed to melt. I felt as though I was being swept into a time machine and transported back to 1960 or so, when life was so … [Read more...]

Recently, a woman who's writing her first manuscript reached out to me. She was feeling discouraged because she heard experienced writers talking about how many manuscripts they wrote before penning one that was strong enough to publish. She asked me for my thoughts. I'm sharing here what I shared with her, in case it's helpful to aspiring writers or insightful to readers who enjoy learning about … [Read more...]

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...]

As you read this, we are headed out on a little trip in our trusty 1998 Chinook camper. We're celebrating our anniversary (a few days late) with a few days of camping in beautiful Tennessee. Now that we've had the Chinook for a year and a half, we've outfitted it with most everything we need. We've found an extra toaster, pots and pans, mugs, etc. at garage sales, and these stay in the camper … [Read more...]