Finally, A Ban on Book Bans!

As an author and former law professor, it’s been so disturbing to see continuing efforts to ban a wide range of books from schools and libraries. Those organizations and politicians who claim to only be protecting parental freedom or liberty are doing so at the expense of everyone else’s freedom and liberty to read materials

Keeping Up with Copyright!

On September 10, 2022, I made an educational presentation about Copyright Basics for Authors to Southwest Florida members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. As a former law professor, I really enjoy helping authors learn more about their rights to their works. It was a highly interactive session with a great group of women who are writing in

Cool Lit Gifts, Great Local Businesses, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree…

My sister, Dolores, is a doyen at finding unique Christmas gifts, especially those that support local small businesses and worthy causes. This year, she gifted me with whimsical wood coasters painted using “punny” book titles, like “Tequila Mockingbird” and “Moby Drink”, from Oliverstuff (https://www.cuttingboredom.com or @oliverstuff).  All the fun coasters are made with reclaimed wood

Write-In for the Win!

Thanks to all of the members of Citrus Crime Writers for inviting me to host a fun virtual write-in on Sunday, Nov. 14, 2021, from 2:00-3:00 pm. I led two fifteen-minute writing sprints for members. Sherry Morris blew us away with her high word counts with Martha Geaney and Jen Walsh right behind her. Our

Get Your NaNoWriMo On!

Last year, I checked out NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month–and managed to write 30,000 words on one of my writing projects. It’s a great way to kick start your writing, even if you don’t plan to crank out 50,000 plus words. In honor of NaNoWriMo, my friends at Citrus Crime Writers (CCW – Central Florida Chapter

Getting Back to Writer Square?

Maybe it’s the dog days of August, but I’ve been somewhat unmotivated about my writing the past couple of weeks. It could be a bad case of novel post-partum—I’ve delivered my baby—Friends Like These—and now it’s on submission and I’m in a holding pattern, hoping a publisher likes my novel enough to buy it. But

We’re Baaaaack!

Thanks to the Gulf Coast Writers Association (GCWA) Board, members, and guests in Fort Myers for inviting me to make an educational presentation on Copyright or Copy Wrong? The Basics of Copyright for Authors. (for educational purposes only, not intended as legal advice) It was their first in-person meeting since Spring 2020’s COVID shutdowns so

Inching Back to Normalcy

It seems we’re finally starting to inch our way back to normalcy as more people get vaccinated and COVID rates continue to fall in many locations. I’m glad to see that some local writer groups are feeling ready for in-person meetings while continuing to include Zoom options for those who prefer to participate online. This

Patience Is My Least Favorite Virtue…

My novel, Friends Like These, is on submission right now to potential publishers. My agent has given me some positive feedback about editor reviews of it. I’m anxiously awaiting any scrap of news about a formal offer for the novel. Although I’ve published short stories with small press anthologies and self-published 3 books, I have

Help Simbi Promote Global Literacy!

As authors and readers, reading is so important to us. Yet there are millions of people who cannot read or lack access to books. My husband’s employer, Galvanize, participated in a holiday read-a-thon with Simbi in December 2020. It was an awesome experience to narrate books from Simbi’s library for global learners!! Simbi’s mission is