For the last couple of months, I’ve spent a surprising amount of time working on books that have already been published. Not rewriting them. Not editing them. Rebuilding everything around them. That’s one of the peculiar things about being an indie author—or, in our case, an indie author who also happens to be part of
We’ve Been Building Something Read More »
About twenty years ago, Terry Brooks gave Tracy and me a piece of advice that has stuck with me ever since. Read outside your genre. He was talking to us as writers. His point was that if you read nothing but the sort of books you write, sooner or later you start breathing your own
The Other Side of the Bookstore Read More »
Last week, I declared August 31 New Year’s Eve. There were school supplies involved. Fresh notebooks. New pencils. That strange feeling I’ve never quite lost that September is when one year ends and another begins. It was a lovely idea. There was, however, one small problem with declaring September the start of the New Year.
Resolutions for the Rest of the Year Read More »
Tomorrow is September 1. Which means today is New Year’s Eve. Not the official one, obviously. Nobody is going to stand outside tonight in twenty-degree weather wearing a stupid hat and counting backward from ten. There probably won’t be champagne. Ryan Seacrest is unlikely to turn up. And if somebody starts singing Auld Lang Syne,
The Other New Year’s Eve Read More »
A thriller is supposed to make you nervous. Cozy fiction is supposed to make you feel safe. Put them together and you get something resembling a relaxing panic attack. Except… what if cozy doesn’t mean nothing bad can happen? What if it simply means that when trouble comes, you won’t have to face it alone?
Can a Thriller Be Cozy? Read More »
Once upon a time, “cozy” meant somebody had been murdered in a picturesque English village, but at least there was tea. Now cozy has escaped the mystery shelves and wandered into fantasy, science fiction, and even my own *The Summer Garden*. So what exactly makes a story cozy—and what genre will it invade next?
Is Everything Getting Cozy? Read More »
August may look quiet from the outside, but behind the scenes authors are tending stories the way gardeners tend their plants—patiently preparing for the season ahead.
The Dog Days of an Author’s Summer Read More »
Sometimes the stories we’re most excited about are the ones we forget to talk about. For months, I’ve been quietly publishing The Summer Garden every Sunday on Substack—a gentle serial about grief, friendship, second chances, and the unexpected community found in a neighborhood garden. If you haven’t discovered Scotty and the residents of Mill Creek Community Garden yet, now’s the perfect time to step through the gate.
I Can’t Believe I Forgot to Tell You About The Summer Garden Read More »
Ever noticed how some books sit half-finished for weeks—or even months—not because you stopped enjoying them, but because life simply got in the way? The best stories are patient. They’re always ready to welcome you back.
The Books We Never Actually Finish Read More »
Some writing obstacles aren’t plot problems or lack of inspiration—they’re upholstered. After unexpectedly finishing an entire chapter of Fall From Grace in a single day, I discovered the biggest difference wasn’t my writing. It was where I sat. The recliner I’d always considered a harmless pre-writing stop had quietly become the world’s most comfortable procrastination machine.
The Recliner Is Not My Friend Read More »
A thriller writer’s Google search history can look alarmingly criminal—especially when questions about silencers, DNA and extradition sit beside tomato varieties, bitter cucumbers and homemade hummus.
My Google Search History Should Probably Come with a Lawyer Read More »
Years after finishing a novel, it’s rarely the plot we remember best. It’s the people. The quiet characters who felt real, who made us laugh, who gave the story its heart. Those are the ones who stay with us—and perhaps that’s true of the people we meet in life, too.
The People Who Quietly Stay With Us Read More »