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STAY IN TOUCH. I love the concept of building a community. Join other followers and readers each month and receive behind the scenes scoopsÌýabout my work as an author,Ìýtips on the craft of writing, book reviews, information on new releases and whatever is floating my boat that month.Ìý

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My Blog has transitioned to provide information on new releases and book updates, allowing me time to concentrate on my writing, providing readers with great stories and one of the best author newsletters ever!...

New Year Resolutions may not be for everyone—a Forbes survey says about 40% of Americans take the step., but �

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If you are among those who commit to changing things up (whether a New Year's Resolution or not), how do you set yourself up for success in reaching your goals?

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Enter Micro Steps!

What are Micro Steps?

Micro Steps are simple steps that are consistent and meaningful, small actions that forward your momentum to your goal.
If you try to eat an elephant whole, I don't need to tell ...

A bow of gratitude to my readers, and supporters and wishing all a great new year.Ìý

No exceptions for holidays or Sundays. The heron, which I've named Perseverance—Percy for short—shows up every morning and evening beside the creek next to our home. I ponder whether the bird has tucked a timetable under its wing like the one I carried in my coat pocket when I rode the Chicago Metra. Fishing is excellent in the beaver pond for Percy to maintain such a schedule.

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My husband and IÌýfirst see Percy sitting atop the barn swallow house before our morning walk when we throw bits of ...

It's not all writing!Ìý AuthorsÌýhave families, hobbies, and yes, summer vacations too!Ìý This month, I'm sharingÌýa favorite vacation spot that provided inspiration for scenes inÌýBlackhorse Road.Ìý

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I hope these scenes come alive for you and inspire you to visit--virtually or otherwise--this magnificant natural beauty.

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Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

Since I was four years old, I've made many trips to Lake Louise and the Canadian Rockies. In the early days, there weren't as many tourists as the...

New York Times bestselling author Tucker Max says, "An author isn't the same thing as a writer. A writer is someone who focuses on craft . . . an author is someone who has a message."

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Yes, I am an author.

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Last month's Let's Talk Flawless Witness Virtual Meetup supported, at least in my case, his statement.

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The first question in the 90-minute meetup took a deep dive, exploring the messages in Flawless Witness.

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I began writing fiction in response to a challenge issued by my fellow ...

In his Grammar Moses column on April 8th, Jim Baumann challenged his readers to a test:Ìý Determine which one of two blurbs on gerunds was written by the artificial application ChatGPT and which was written by him. (The AI version took forty-one seconds to create; Baumann's took five minutes).

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If readers were expecting the choice would be easy . . . well, they'd have to think again.Ìý

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In his follow-up column the next week, Bauman gave examples where readers (even some of his most ardent fo...

"You must be kidding!" my critique partners exclaimed as we discussed some historical elements of Adrienne's Choice, the novel I'm writing.

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Set in southwestern Ontario, Canada, 1899-1900, there were many "You've got to be kidding" insights as we talked about the era—scenes not from my imagination but from research about the period and the challenges and restrictions women faced.

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It's 1899, and Adrienne Langlois is searching for financial and personal autonomy. She has completed teacher t...

It was only after readers of Flower Girl kept urging me to know more about what made the story's antagonist Jonathan Herbert Spencer III tick that I began writing the novel's sequel, Flawless Witness.

I approached the story with curiosity and trepidation—mostly the latter, unsure whether I wanted to travel down the dark hole of Jonathan's mind. Digging into the motivations and specific behaviors associated with egocentrism, emotional abuse, betrayal, and exploitation often associated with narci...

Most of my newsletter readers know I'm a fan of old letters, diaries, and journals. These source materials are invaluable to me as I create relatable characters who face challenges, live through sorrow and betrayal, struggle with doubt, and act on their aspirations to achieve flourishing lives.

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My godmother's diaries are an inspiration—seventy years of journal writing every day! Her diaries (and others) give me insight into long-forgotten challenges—like the entry: Wed. Feb. 20, 1924: Smallp...