On Sunday, I was scrolling through Facebook (never a good thing), and thinking about how most people spend their time on weekends. For most people, those days off are dedicated to fun, letting loose, getting out and about (or, that’s what Facebook implies). For me, weekends are a little angst-ridden. I struggle with how much to work on — Read More
Category: Publishing
The daunting outline
When you want to get your first novel published, you have to submit the entire manuscript for consideration. Nonfiction is different in that you can get a book deal based on a detailed proposal. I always envied this. But, now, as I’m working on pitches for various ideas for my second novel, I’m realizing the difficulties. — Read More
The state of the book
Every now and then, I feel the need to do a post about the state of publishing. Are books really dying? It’s hard for me to believe because I LOVE books and cannot imagine life without them. But, it appears that many people can totally imagine life without them. According to a 2015 survey by the — Read More
The writer’s fraudulence complex
In the April issue of Poets & Writers, Leigh Stein wrote a piece called “Poet, Writer, Imposter” that had me nodding along vigorously. She starts: “To begin with, my credentials are worthless. I’m no expert. A better writer should have gotten this assignment. My editor is ignoring my e-mails because my work is unpublishable and — Read More
Since we last talked
As I type this, dinner is in the oven and my husband is on the phone with Barnes & Noble. He likes to call different stores around the country to see if they have my book. We get very excited when they do. Speaking of my adorable husband (he will hate that I used the word — Read More
Exciting things on publication day
Today, People Who Knew Me is officially out in the world. Today is also my second wedding anniversary. How’s that for good juju? The one word I would use to describe today is SURREAL. So surreal. I cannot believe my book is in stores, but here’s proof: I also found out today that the book is on — Read More
On (not) caring what people think, taking reviews in stride, and defending flawed characters
I’m a sensitive person. My mom said once, “Your radar is always up.” I used to see it as a problem, this pesky radar. I don’t now. The radar is what makes me a good writer. I’m hyper aware of everything around me. I feel things deeply. It can be painful at times, but it — Read More
Publishing Journey: T minus 1 month
When I got my book deal at the end of 2014, a writer friend told me, “Your pub day will be here before you know it.” I did not believe her. At that time, 2016 seemed SO FAR AWAY. And now, here we are, a month out from my book launch. It’s kind of surreal, as most — Read More
Publishing Journey: T minus 2 months
I’m not sure how it’s already the end of March, but it is. My book comes out in two short months, on May 24. I have a couple of launch events lined up if you’re in the Southern California area: Thursday, May 26, 7pm Pages, a Bookstore 904 Manhattan Avenue Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 — Read More
Writing: Art and craft
I’m late to the 2014 party and just finished (and loved) Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. As usually happens when I finish a novel I love, I Googled the author for insights into her writing process and found this interesting snippet on The Millions: “I took a lot of notes as I was — Read More