Writing Blog
Real life locations of my short stories
I love anything associated with travel, so it’s not a surprise that a strong sense of place is important to me as a reader and writer. My latest short story collection, “Drink Wine and Be Beautiful”, is largely set in Italy. I thought I would share some of the locations that play a role in…
Read MoreMy June 2023 reads
Another great month of reading. I travelled from an isolated home in a rural corner of Ireland where a killer may or may not be on the loose, to a small Connecticut town where a recent widow is trying to kickstart her life, and her failing bookstore, as she tries to reclaim her life and…
Read MoreStop the Trigger Warning madness
Call me old fashioned, but I grew up in the sticks and stones generation. Words are not violence. And people who lived before us did not buy into whatever PC language laws were invented by the mob five seconds ago. But this whole censorship-friendly environment is really getting out of hand. Roald Dahl stories had…
Read MoreA garden of one’s own
With a nod to Virginia Woolf, a woman who writes may need a room of her own … but a lovely English garden will also do quite nicely… I coveted this garden daily during my time in Durham, England. While there for the Historic Novel Society meeting this past September, I was staying in a…
Read MoreHalf-way through my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Half-way through my Goodreads Reading Challenge, having read 23 of the 45 novels I pledged to read this year. It’s been a great year of books so far. Thirteen of the twenty-three books I’ve read have been NetGalley reads. Six of the twenty-three have been from fellow Women’s Fiction Writers Association authors. What about you…
Read MoreMy May 2023 reads
May was another great reading month. I became a flight attendant flying from London to Paris, I enjoyed the competitiveness and complicated relations at a community swimming pool in the northern Virginia suburb of Washington, DC. Next, I traveled on to Poland to “party like it’s 1999”, following an art heist in the last days…
Read MoreNew Midwest Book Reviews review for my collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful
It’s been one week since I’ve launched my first short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautful. While I’m pleased sales have been going well, I’m most excited that my work is getting into the hands of many new readers. And I love to hear what they think. I’m also thrileld to receive editorial reviews,…
Read MoreHappy Launch Day for Drink Wine and Be Beautiful!
Launch Day is today! SO excited to launch my newest publication – and my first short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful. I have long loved writing short stories and am especially pleased to be releasing this first collection – stories of Italian women and expatriate women living in Italy. To celebrate my launch,…
Read MoreExcited for new review and book award for Drink Wine!
Excited to have a new book review and book award from Literary Titan for my new short story collection, Drink Wine and Be Beautiful. Editorial reviews mean a lot to me, and this review for my new short story collection, and being a recipient of the Literary Titan Book Award, puts me in an excellent…
Read MoreAuthor interview and new book launch for Gabi Coatsworth
I’m so pleased to be able to welcome to my blog fellow Women’s Fiction Writer Association author Gabi Coatsworth. Gabi is a Connecticut-based author, who made her way to New England by way of the United Kingdom. She came to work, stayed for love, and has been trying to figure the country out ever since.…
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