A sneak peek into the next Darby Shaw Book

Trying a vlog format. Let me know what you think.  

Joy and Grief

Today, I should be seriously happy. My latest book, Omission, is finally out, and I'm so thrilled to share it with the world. As I got online this morning to start work for the day and get some things done I didn't get done yesterday, I was slapped in the face. A little boy, Rowan …

Why I Decided To Give My Book Away For Free

Did I get your attention with that headline? Because I should have. 😉 Yes, I am giving my book, The Darby Shaw Chronicles: Books 1 - 3, away for free. But not just everywhere. You can buy it on Amazon. On Kobo. On Barnes & Noble. And on several other, smaller platforms. But I made …

The Absent-Minded Author

I've been busy at work on the website this week, and as I was going through my posts and making sure things are looking good, I realized something: I NEVER FORMALLY ANNOUNCED I WAS STARTING A PODCAST! So, in the category of better-late-than-never, I started a podcast! If you're following me on Facebook, you already …

There, I Said It

I kinda want to get this off my chest because I've been feeling a bit guilty about it. So, prepare for a bit of a vent. (I don't know how  much because I don't know exactly where this is going yet.) I am a special needs mom. I don't talk about it much here on …

The Things You Do as an Author

Over the weekend, we had some family in town. In the quiet times, when one member was reading, and another was Facebooking, I was trying to squeeze some editing in. I grabbed my 3-ring binder with Launching Justice in it, made sure I had my spiral-bound notebook inside it for making notes for its sequel, …

Hello, Old Friends

One thing I love about being a fiction writer is creating characters. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun to figure out just where these characters I'm going to be living with for a while come from, what their stories are, and how they're going to work with the other characters …

Insight into the Author: Editing

Every author has a favorite stage of the process. Some hate drafting, but love editing. Some love marketing and the pre-publication process (although I think they're a pretty strange breed!) I happen to be one who loves the actual writing, but grudgingly accepts that editing has to happen. I'm really bad about it because I'll …

Revisting a Classic: A Third Time Review of Pride and Prejudice

Earlier this week, I finished what has become an annual re-reading of the classic, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Two years ago, I decided that re-reading this book, which has since become my favorite book of all time, would be something I could do that I could look forward to. Although I read the …

Thank you!

Thanks to everyone who posted in and voted in the name a character contest! The winning name is Stanley Moustakas. Which means that Paula Askren and Steve Mathisen are the winners! Thank you both for coming up with great names that I could combine into one. I, for one, am happy that this character has …