I recently appeared on the Morning Joe program alongside legendary
historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to discuss my new book, The Monuments Men: Allied
Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. I had just
finished telling the hosts, Mika Brzezinksi and Willie Geist, how excited I was
to write about a woman heroine in the dramatic story of Read More...
Everyone once and a while, you discover an extraordinary piece of prose. The
work captivates your imagination with history, compelling characters, rich,
vibrant settings and language so alluring that you cannot put it down. I do
not review books often for the Daily Dose, but I really
want to share this book with you.
Best Read of 2009
Presumptuous as the statement may Read More...
As a writer, I hope creativity will be one of the gifts I pass on to my son. It
can be a scary venture, weaving story together from nothing, then sharing that
vision with the world. But the results can be nothing short of amazing. Whatever
your passion and gift, everyone can find a creative outlet to challenge and
sustain them. The wonder of seeing others respond to your gift is a miracle you
should Read More...
As a new author, one of the most valuable and painful lessons I learned was that
not every soul in the universe is going to adore my books. Before becoming
published writers, many of us who eventually get there harbor delusions about
throngs of fans clamoring to read our books and that every one of them will fall
in love with our stories. Alas, that dream vanishes with a quiet, rueful sigh.
The agony of Read More...
When thinking about a topic for my Fresh
Fiction blog, naturally my thoughts turned to the holidays. Thanksgiving is
less than two weeks away, and I have wonderful memories of sharing gut-stuffing
meals with my family at my grandmother’s house. That woman could cook! She grew
up on a farm in Texas, the daughter of German Americans. She told me that at
the age six, she was Read More...
Bantam Spectra
hosts a smack down on Twitter between characters as diverse as
Captain Kirk (Star Trek) versus Captain Mal (Firefly) and more. So borrowing a
leaf from his playbook, I want to have some fun over the next few weeks in a
smack down of our own. I will post the contestants and my thoughts, you get to
vote and post your own. Commentators are Read More...
This week I’ve decided that I want to know something about your reading
preferences. I feel as though
since I’ve been contributing to this blog that I’ve told you something of my
preferences, and now it’s
time to find out a bit about you. Some of the things I want to know about you
are ideas that I’ve gotten
from my various yahoo groups…so much thanks to those!
Are Read More...
I’m thrilled to be a part of FreshFiction and to have the opportunity to
introduce you to my series, the Daphne Martin Cake Decorating
Mystery Series. The first book in the series is MURDER TAKES THE CAKE.
In MURDER TAKES THE Read More...
Many authors become authors because they’re interested in a lot of different
things, and naturally those interests can create challenges when it comes time
to decide what you want to be when you grow up.
After seeing John Glenn go to space, I wanted to be an astronaut. But women
we’re allowed in the program back then. Later, I wanted to be an attorney, to
fight the wrongs in the judicial system. Then Read More...
Thank you so much for welcoming me to the blog and giving me a chance to talk
about Willoughby’s
Return!
I loved writing this book. Sense and Sensibility is
one of my favourite Austen novels and I
enjoyed revisiting all the characters and places Read More...
In my Bunco Babes books, the central characters have been friends for
years. They get together every Thursday night to drink frozen margaritas, roll
dice, and gossip about the inhabitants of their small north Florida town. The
three main characters I introduced in the first book, Bunco Babes Tell All, were
labeled as "the nice one," "the sharp one" and "the hot one Read More...
I’ve always loved the words from Ecclesiastes that begin: To every thing there
is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. I find the words
profound, not only because I strongly believe them, but also because in relation
to my writing career, I’ve seen them in action.
Although many times I have been disappointed, frustrated and impatient . . . all
of the events leading up to my securing a two-book Read More...
