Why Kid Lit Matters

Do you remember when you first fell in love with reading? I’m going to guess that for most of you, it was when you were a child. Maybe, like for me, it was love at first picture book. Or maybe a teacher or librarian handed you a book that resonated with you, and you kept… Read more »

How This Skeptic Became A Meditation Convert  

  Breathe in… I wonder who’s the guest on The Daily Show tonight? Breathe out… I really liked Trevor Noah’s memoir. I should recommend it to my book club. Breathe in… Focus! You’re supposed to be clearing your mind. Breathe out… What should I make for supper tonight? If you’ve tried meditation, does this sound familiar? When I first… Read more »

5 Ways to Show Your Readers You’re Their Perfect Match

I’d bet we all know what it’s like to fall head over heels for an author—I’d be lying if there aren’t a few who have completely stolen my heart away. This very special kind of chemistry generally goes beyond any individual book, and extends to the author’s overall persona. It can seem that these authors… Read more »

#5OnFri: Five Things I Learned on the Amtrak Residency

I’m a fairly new fiction writer, but I’ve been a journalist for decades. You would think I’d have some sort of writing routine down, some alchemy that I draw upon from my non-fiction world when I slip into my fiction realm. You would be wrong. I’m used to winging it, writing in my car and… Read more »

What Stress Can Do For You

When someone tells you “I’m stressed,” your response is probably a sympathetic, “I’m sorry.” We’ve been taught that stress makes us feel anxious, worried, or tense. And it does make us feel those things, but let’s put that aside for now, because those feelings aren’t the only outcome of stress. In fact, stress is vital… Read more »

#5OnFri: Five Tips for Indie Publishing Your Book

A few years back I published a couple of non-fiction books with the largest independent publishing house in America, Kensington. After the second book, I had exhausted what I had to say on the subject of how Americans funeralize their dead and moved into fiction. Unfortunately, the market for genre fiction was a bit softer… Read more »