Writing Blog
My July 2022 Reads
Summer reading continues – yay! I had a great July in books. Here are the novels I read and the accompanying reviews. Have you read any of these? What did you think? I’m always open to book recommendations – so drop any novels you recommend into the comments section. The Lonely Hearts Lido Club…
Read MoreMy novel Three Coins visits its book locations
My debut novel, Three Coins, was released in October 2021. It is the contemporary story of three expatriate American women living in Rome, who, having faced daunting challenges, retreat to the seaside town of Sperlonga to regroup and come back stronger. But Sperlonga is a pretty deserted place in November, and the women are quickly…
Read MoreLooking forward to the Historical Novel Society’s UK conference in Durham
Last year I joined the wonderful Historical Novel Society. As a new member, I jumped at the chance to join the (virtual) Historical Novel Society America conference. For those who don’t know, the annual writers’ conference alternates between years in the US (odd years) and in the UK (even years). Since last year’s conference was…
Read MoreMy June 2022 reads
Summer reading is always my favorite reading – even if my son’s fractued arm put a damper on beach and poolside reading during this steamy month… But that lament is for another day. At least the reading was always good. I had a great June in books. Here are the novels I read and the…
Read MoreWhat a difference a year makes: Two published novels and another on the way…
Apologies are in order. After a solid decade of consistent blogging, I’ve been AWOL for a year after the blog interface changed and I failed to learn to work with it. Mea culpa! Ahem… almost a year later, I’m (kind of) up to speed with the new bells and whistles, and ready to begin blogging…
Read MoreBook Review: The Switch
I read this book largely in one day, on the beach between swims. It’s a fast paced, fun tale about an identity swap between grandmother and granddaughter. Leena is a twenty-something management consultant/workaholic living in London. Her job is her life and she’s used to dazzling clients and being the It-girl of her consultng firm.…
Read MoreSeeking book reviewers: My novel, Three Coins, now available on NetGalley
Last week I announced my cover reveal for Three Coins, my debut novel, set to be released in October. Like all authors, I am eager to start gathering advance reviews, so an advance copy of my novel is up on NetGalley. For any readers who love women’s fiction with a touch of romance, stories about…
Read MoreCover reveal! Pleased to reveal my new Three Coins cover
I’m super excited to be able to announce a cover reveal for my debut novel, Three Coins, which I’ll be publishing in October. I had so much fun writing this contemporary women’s fiction novel, with romantic elements, told through the perspective of three very different expatriate women living in Rome, Italy. As someone who loves…
Read MoreBook review: Carnegie’s Maid
This is my first novel by author Marie Benedict. But I picked it up because of my fascination with America’s Gilded Age, and the fact that I knew little of the early years of famous Robber Barron (and generous philanthropist) Andrew Carnegie. Benedict is a Pittsburgh native, and so Carnegie loomed large as a powerful,…
Read MoreWriting as a way to banish concerns from your mind, according to Dos Passos
“When you write about something you often never think of it again.” —John Dos Passos I’m a big fan of John Dos Passos and his stories about how cruel the reality could be for immigrants arriving in American cities at the turn of the century – and how harsh and solitary life in those…
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