Recently, a dear author friend and I had a total miscommunication breakdown. Here’s what happened. In late March, unbeknownst to me, my friend stopped receiving any emails from me: no submissions of my work for our critique group (she solicited my chapters from other group members), no thank you notes for her feedback on my…
Read MoreMy fourteen-year-old creative writing student and I had our last session of the semester before summer break. She is a gifted writer already working on a novel. When I asked her what she enjoyed the most about our sessions, she said, “The writing prompts. I feel like it gets our creative juices going.” I had…
Read MoreComing from a family peppered with jazz musicians, I grew up listening to gifted big band vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald who went on to successfully build solo careers in the 1950s and beyond. I thought I was familiar with all the great jazz vocalists of that period, but I was…
Read MoreLast weekend, I attended Malice Domestic, a popular conference for mystery authors and fans held annually in Bethesda, Maryland. I missed going last year and was determined to make it this time, despite another spinal flareup that’s made it difficult for me to walk or stand for any length of time without a lot…
Read More