Writing (and reading) in the time of COVID-19

The other day, I got my first shipment of ARCs (advance reader copies) for my new novel, All the Acorns on the Forest Floor (releases September 15). My excitement was tainted with some worry about the fact that the mailman cleared his throat upon presenting the box. Was it a cough? Had he washed his — Read More

The writer’s plight

One of my best friends sent me this screenshot the other day and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I’ve been in a bit of a funk lately. It’s not that I have writer’s block (I don’t really believe in “writer’s block”–a post on this coming soon); it’s that I have so — Read More

The future of fiction

I was just reading my beloved Poets & Writers magazine, which includes a great section on the future of independent publishing. I’ve been with a “Big 5” publisher (St. Martin’s) and an indie publisher (Turner), so I’ve had a range of experience.  What I’ve noticed is that, no matter the publisher, fiction books seem to be having — Read More

Would I want my daughter to be a writer?

A couple weeks ago, a friend texted me this tweet by Rebecca Makkai, Pulitzer and National Book Award Finalist: I had a laugh. Then I thought: How would I feel about my daughter becoming a writer?  I can say with 100% sincerity that I just want my daughter to be a content, fulfilled person, no — Read More

What’s Next

Now that TINY is out in the world, I’m looking ahead to what’s next. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in novel-writing mode. All 3 of my published books were written before 2017. I had my daughter in October 2017 and, since then, I’ve been adjusting to motherhood, working full-time (at an ad — Read More

TINY happenings

I’m back home after my first TINY event at Rediscovered Books in Boise. Thank you to everyone who came out. It was a good time! I love, love, love talking with readers. I could talk books all day, every day. My next event is at Newport Beach Public Library this Saturday at 3pm. Hope to — Read More