Category Archives: writing literary ficton

The Language of Kin: A Preview

When I was a new teenager with caring but clueless parents, I used to ride my bike to crazy places on Connecticut’s hilly back roads. Older boys reckless with their shiny drivers licenses, considered those narrow roads their personal racetracks, small wildlife be damned. (I was positive they had cheated on their driver’s tests.) It… Continue Reading

The Story Behind The Story

In case you’re one of the few people who’ve managed to miss my news, THE TESTAMENT OF HAROLD’S WIFE is coming out September 25 from Kensington Books. I thought you might enjoy the real-life stories that gave life to this novel. There were two completely different experiences that planted the seeds. The first had to… Continue Reading

Writing About The Elderly

Hannah, my chocolate Lab, a main character in Where The Trail Grows Faint, will be thirteen next month.  Our forays into the woods have changed, although she still shows me that she wants to go by following me to the door in the late afternoon when I get up from working to head out for a walk.  She waits… Continue Reading

“Make It Mean Something”

The sky and air felt charged this week when I walked Hannah and Maggie, the chocolate Labs.  The moon was already up while the sun hung low and cool in a fading denim sky.  Too early for twilight!  The scent of crushed leaves was strong as the dogs hunted in the dry amber mounds out on the trail. … Continue Reading

On Zusak, Gadhafi and Surprise

An unexpected ludicrous moment, a twist into tragedy, a flash of tenderness:  surprise by a character is a crucial element of a riveting story.  Speaking yesterday at the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio, Marcus  Zusak discussed this as well as describing how he wrote multiple drafts of The Book Thief, trying out different narrators as he worked to understand… Continue Reading

Pin It on Pinterest