“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” ~Howard Thurman, theologian My friend, Lindsay Harrel, shared this quote with me. Now when I say Lindsay is my friend, I must confess we haven’t met. Yet. We’ve connected via …
In Others’ Words: Life
“The way to know life is to love many things.” ~Vincent van Gogh, Dutch impressionist painter Loving many things = knowing life. Hhhhm. There’s a Greek word for “know”: epiginosko, which means to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know well, to percieve, by sight, by hearing … to understand. Expanding that initial equation a bit (which is a reduction of van …
Contemporary Romance Writer: Do You Read Debut Novels?
How do you feel about debut novelists? Not personally … I mean, do you read a novel by a debut author? I’m not asking for myself. Really. I have other friends wearing the title “debut novelist” too: Lisa Jordan (Lakeside Reunion, available now!) Camille Eide (Savanna’s Gift, available Dec. 3, 2011!) Gina Conroy (Cherry Blossom Capers, January 2012) …
In Others’ Words: Forward Motion
“I am not discouraged because every wrong attempt discarded is a step forward.” ~ Thomas Edison, American inventor Things didn’t go as planned yesterday. (Well, actually today. But when you read this post, it will be yesterday. Sorry. Digressing.) I put a lot of time and effort — and also utilized someone else’s time and effort — into something. And …
Contemporary Romance Writer: Disaster-ed to Death
Most stories have a certain rhythm to them — I’m thinking of something beyond the basic beginning, middle, end structure. Most stories, whether in novel or movie form, have a bad-badder-baddest structure. In other words, as the story progresses, things go from bad to worse to really, really, really bad for the characters. However — and this is a key …
In Others’ Words: Worry … or Not
“Worry is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but never gets you anywhere.” ~Erma Bombeck, American writer & humorist So … I worried some this past weekend. To be honest, I went several rounds with worry. And while I wouldn’t say worry won, there were times that worry backed me into a corner. I kept reminding …
In Others’ Words: Challenges
“When people keep telling you that you can’t do a thing, you kind of like to try it.” ~Margaret Chase Smith, former Republican senator for Maine I admire people who take the word “can’t” and turn it into a great big “Oh yes, I can!” Like Helen Keller. Or Erik Weihenmayer. You probably recognize Helen Keller’s name and know she’s …
Contemporary Romance Writer: Today or Yesterday?
Historical romance is hot — or so say the publishing pundits. My debut novel, Wish You Were Here … um, it’s set in the here and now. As in Colorado. Today. Did I know readers wanted historical romance when my novel was nothing more than a work in progress? Yes. Yes, I did. Then why, if I was really thinking …
In Others’ Words: Goal or Obstacle
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.” ~Henry Ford, American industrialist I could make my point today talking about football. But I won’t. Even though I found a great photo of the goal line, I won’t talk about my favorite team (the Denver Broncos). I won’t talk about Tim Tebow … or …
Contemporary Romance Writer:That “Can’t Put It Down” Book
We lose sleep for lots of different reasons. Illness. Anxiety. Sometimes we even stay up into the wee small hours because we’re celebrating something fun. But how often have you stayed up too late because of a book? You start reading a novel and you get so caught up in the story — the conflict between the hero and the …