I have a section in The Writer Behind the Words called Make Money Matter, but I couldn’t be as eloquent as this (warning: he uses foul language, for those of you who might find that offensive, but his message is important and clear):

Listen and learn. Treat your writing career as a business. Expect–don’t hope–to […]

My Interview
I had a lovely interview with Cindy LaFerle at Bookpleasures about The Writer Behind the Words: Steps to Success in the Writing Life. You can read it here.
About Fear
Last night I was watching The Big Idea on CNBC and the host was talking to musician Dave Navarro who’s played for Jane’s Addiction and The […]

Tomorrow, in the US, we celebrate Thanksgiving. People invite family and friends over to gorge –excuse me–eat a large amount of food and give thanks for all their blessings. But as we know this is the sanitized version of what can happen in most homes where you may invite someone you hate all year and […]

For Writers: I’ve added new articles to my website. You can read them here.
For Readers: I’ve added a jigsaw puzzle for Taming Mariella you can play here. And I’ve also added an excerpt you can read.
Enjoy!

I was sad to hear about the death of Donde West, rap artist Kanye West’s mother. It reminded me of the author Olivia Goldsmith who died in a similar situation. Plastic surgery has risks and though some may snicker or sneer (cruelly so) cosmetic surgery is big business.
Do looks matter to writers? Yes.
I recently attended […]

Children’s Book Week is celebrated this week November 12-18. The theme is “Rise Up Reading!”
Here are ten ways to celebrate.
1. Read with a child.
2. Support a children’s book author, buy a new book.
3. Reread your favorite children’s book.
4. Visit your local library and see what events they have.
5. Donate books to a program for […]

If you’re in the DC area I’m discussing my book The Writer Behind the Words at 6:30 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library. It’s free to the public and I’m raffling off books from my backlist. You can get the address and directions here.
Right after that, I’m heading to Pennsylvania for a […]

To help cover the medical costs of author Dawn Thompson editors are raffling off manuscript critiques! This could lead to publication. Read what Kensington author Deborah Macgillivray has to say below.
From Deborah Macgillivray:
I am raffling off editors!!!
Listen up!!
Tired of submitting to slush piles and getting rejected before the editors even see it?
Want a chance to […]

Today I’m over at Access Romance.

Do connections matter?

There’s been a rumbling in the publishing world that Jessica Seinfeld (wife of the comedian Jerry Seinfeld) might have borrowed recipes from Missy Chase Lapin. Why? Because the recipes and ideas in Deceptively Delicious (Seinfeld’s book) are similar to The Sneaky Chef (Lapin’s book). And why is there a fuss? Because […]