Long Summer at Home

Since I’m housebound like the rest of the country, and unable to make my usual summer treks to see friends and attend various conferences, I thought I would wistfully talk about my summer plans. Fortunately, my home state of Montana is one of the nicest places in the world to spend the summer.  Mountains so… Read More

A Character’s Voice

Hearing a character’s voice in your head is one of the strangest parts of writing.  Each voice is distinct, unique to that person in some way.  How does it happen? That is a question I have yet to satisfactorily answer. A novel is constructed by using different tools, description, narrative, setting, and dialog among them. … Read More

The Deception

As I was finishing the last few pages of my novel, THE DECEPTION, Hawk Maddox and Kate Gallagher’s story, I got an interesting phone call.  I’m fortunate to be represented by a literary agency in New York as well as an agency in Hollywood. Since I love movies, I’ve always wanted to see one of… Read More

WHY I LOVE WRITING ROMANCE

From birth to death, romance is part of everyone’s lives, a mother’s love for her newborn baby, a son or daughter’s love for a parent, or love for the person who shares your life. Falling in love is the part that intrigues me.  I love giving my characters obstacles that reveal their strengths and weaknesses,… Read More

My Favorite Places

Over the years, I’ve written a number of blogs about my favorite places.  I just discovered a new one so I thought I would tell you about it. I’ve never been a big fan of the desert.  I do love the Saguaro cactus, the red rock mountains, and some of the incredible vistas. But the… Read More

Characters — Finding the Right Match

When it comes to Romantic Suspense, one of the most import and often the hardest thing to do is to find the right match for the hero or heroine who is the primary character in the book.  In THE DECEPTION, Hawk Maddox is a former Marine, a strong, tough, sometimes reckless, chance-taker.  I needed a… Read More

Creating a Page Turner

“I couldn’t put it down!  Those words are some of the most satisfying comments an author can receive.  Nothing pleases me more than a note from someone grumbling about staying up late to finish one of my books. It’s music to my ears. There are lots of ways to earn those precious words.  Writing a… Read More

Story Ideas

I’ve always been a plot-oriented writer.  People ask me how I come up with ideas for my novels and the truth is, I don’t really know. Prior to the release of my first hardcover novel, THE CONSPIRACY,I wrote a very short digital story–AFTER THE SUNRISE, just published on Amazon–mostly because I woke up on a… Read More

DEALING WITH STRESS

After several decades of writing, I’ve learned to accept the ups and downs of the business.  Mostly. Unfortunately, with every book published, a new set of problems seem to arise.  Each time I’m certain my current release is going to go smoothly, but it never has. When a publisher decides you have enough people who… Read More

Real Life Heroes

As a writer, I’m always looking for new story ideas.  For most writers, past experiences can be a very big help.  Have you ever survived a dangerous situation?  How did you do it? When I was first learning to snow ski, I got caught on top of Stowe Mountain, Vermont in a blizzard, after the… Read More