Tag: writing
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Where there is loss, there is love
Two days prior to Queen Elizabeth II and former CNN lead anchor Bernard Shaw shuffling off their mortal coils (as Shakespeare would say), my cousin Gregory passed away. My mother called me from Philadelphia to let me know – she didn’t want me to find out via social media (which has happened in the past).…
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My wish list – Autumn 2015
This weekend, I am in Skåne in southern Sweden. It’s a beautiful place–especially here in Yngsjöstrand, near Åhus (famous as the birthplace for Absolute Vodka–and yes, the Absolut distillery is still here). Autumn has already arrived here in Sweden–the leaves are turning colors and the air is chilly, the days are shorter… and it’s…
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Brainstorming in Matera
Instead of spending Midsummer in Stockholm, I am in Matera, Italy brainstorming my next books with a great group of writers at the Locanda di San Martino. These amazing women have helped me figure out how to get past some road blocks that were keeping me from moving forward with my new WIP, Under the…
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A sprained ankle and other updates…
There’s a reason I no longer play sports and concentrate on writing: I have *zero* coordination. Today, while walking, I managed to sprain my ankle. I stepped on what looked like a pretty solid piece of pavement with a bit of gravel on it–turned out to be a pile of gravel–and my foot went in…
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Black and white in love–or why I write about interracial relationships
In July it will be twenty years since I left the United States behind and embarked on an adventure in the name of love in Scandinavia. I only knew a handful of people here–the man I was in love with and his family. At the time, it never occurred to me that this was not…
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2015, I’ve got my eye on you.
I know this is that time of year when I’m supposed to post about how I reached all of my publishing/writing goals and tell you how great I am and make you think I am super-organized/ambitious/fill-in-the-blank. But…I’m not going to do that. Why? Because it’s boring. Instead, I thought my buddy Ryan and I would…
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December is a month of giving
It started with my parents… When I was younger, my parents instilled in me the importance of helping those in need. We donated clothing to local shelters, we collected toys for Toys for Tots, donated money to local charities, volunteered at soup kitchens. It made me appreciate what I had, it made me realise that…
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NaNoWriMo 2014? Done!
I did it! 😀 I finished NaNoWriMo 2014 at 2AM this morning. The novel is by no means complete–I still have two chapters to finish–but I reached 50K and the first draft of Maybe Forever is nearly done. I should finish these last chapters by Sunday evening. 🙂 I’m aiming for a…