I love Ireland! Some might say there’s a touch of green running through my veins – my maiden name is Patrick, and I’ve always been proud of my family’s Irish heritage. So when my publisher asked me if I wanted to write three books in a new series called the Irish Tearoom Mystery Series, I jumped at the chance. Yes! …
Drawing Faces Without Looking
In June I attended the Colgate Writers Conference in Hamilton, NY, and participated in an intensive writing workshop. The seven participants exchanged novel excerpts (up to 40 pages) in advance, and then we spent two hours each day in the workshop, reviewing and critiquing and brainstorming each person’s work. It was awesome, and I’ll write more about that later. But …
Tales from the Goose Creek B&B – Behind the Series and the eBook Sale
Several years ago I received a call from my editor at Harvest House Publishing. “The publication committee would like to launch a new series. They want something along the lines of Jan Karon’s Mitford series. You know, small town, quirky characters, lots of humor and heartwarming moments. Your name came up as a possible author. Think you could come up …
The Amish Widower – the Story and the Sale
A number of years ago I was approached by my editor at Harvest House Publishers and asked to write an Amish book. “I told the publication committee you wouldn’t do it,” my editor said. “You’ve mentioned to me several times you would never write any more Amish fiction.” She was right. I had co-authored three books that featured Amish characters …
Meet the Beast!
Sunday was an exciting day at the farm. Brad and I got the motorcycles out, wiped off the winter dust, and fired them up! Woo hoo! Brad rides a Honda Shadow, and I still have the first bike I ever owned, a 2003 Suzuki Savage. Yes, I’ve had others in the past, but I love this one. Over the years …
Meet the Flock
If we are connected on Facebook then you know that my husband and I recently became chicken farmers. We inherited a small flock in November and have been enjoying the whole process of getting to know them .I confess that they really are more like pets than livestock to us. They’re a diverse flock. By that I mean we have …
One Million Copies Sold!
Authors keep track of book sales for a variety of reasons. One is because of the publishers we work with, or hope to work with. When an author pitches a new book to a publisher, the proposal includes the number of books sold in the past. Publishers are in the business to make money, so they like to know how …
My Favorite Time of the Year (NOT)
It’s THAT time again. The time when bean counters everywhere go through pencil lead and coffee like a shopaholic goes through a trust fund. The time of year I dread more than any other. It’s tax time. Every year I promise myself I will be better at saving my receipts. I will keep them organized into income and deduction categories …
Groundhog Day in Punxsatawney PA
I’m sure you’ve all heard about Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-predicting groundhog who emerges from his den on February 2nd each year and prognosticates the length of winter. This year Brad and I decided to check out the event! We had a blast in Punxsy (their nickname for Punxsutawney). We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast in nearby DuBois (the …
It’s a Movie!
Every novelist dreams that one day they’ll see their story come alive on screen as a movie, but so often that’s a pipe dream that never materializes. There are tons of really, really good books that are never made into movies, while some that readers would consider mediocre are. Why? Various reasons, almost all of them out of control of …