By Erica Miner “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.”                          — Henri Bergson During my 21 years as a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, I often thought I would be playing that fiendishly difficult but most splendid of instruments […]

By Anne Louise Bannon Knowing how many of my writer friends genuinely struggle to get their novels completed, it would not be politic, as they say, for me to complain about getting stuck. After all, I am rather prolific. I attribute this to my obsessive nature and my background in journalism, which means that I […]

By Sandra Benson When you imagine an author, what do you see? Is it someone bent over a desk, passionately scribing out a story? Perhaps the author holds a pen over paper, or tattoos a rhythm intently on a keyboard. They are in a small room in an attic. Or, maybe in a shabby-but-charming apartment […]

By Maddie Day/Edith Maxwell Thanks so much for inviting me over, Debra! It’s been such a delight to be on this publishing path with you for the last however-many years. When I thought about what to write for a coveted guest spot on Debra’s blog, I rolled the title of her web site around in […]

By Donnell Ann Bell Because Donnell’s hand is in a cast, we agreed for this guest post to be an oldie but goodie. Focusing on a human emotion that rarely goes away, Donnell and I hope That Devil Called Doubt proves useful. I’m sure you also join me in hoping Donnell’s hand heals quickly. Ever […]

By Maggie Toussaint Are you living your best life? Topic information abounds, so it’s confusing to navigate the choices. The standbys of eating selected foods and adopting more activity in your life vary by body type, blood type, blood component balance, starting health, and genetics, but the overall trend is the still the same: eat […]

By Lynn McPherson It’s been a big year in my writing life. I got an agent and, very recently, signed a three-book deal with Level Best Books. I’m absolutely delighted. And relieved. Now I’m gearing up to go back to what I love to do—writing! For me, there’s nothing more exciting than starting a new […]

By Debra Sennefelder One question authors always get is where we get ideas from. Another top ten question is how do they plot their books? Today I’m going to share a look behind the scenes of my process. The idea for SLEUTHING IN STILETTOS started from a few disjointed thoughts. I wanted the mystery to […]

By Grace Topping As a child, I enjoyed the stories my mother told my sisters and me at bedtime about her childhood. Sometimes her stories were happy and sometimes sad, but we were fascinated by them. Little did I realize that one of her experiences would profoundly affect me and cause me to do things […]

By Annette Dashofy I grew up at a time when Westerns were all the rage on TV. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Big Valley to name a few. My dad and I watched them all. One of my favorites was a series titled Alias Smith and Jones. In it, two of the most successful outlaws in the […]