Blogging from a bookstore

So this is a first for me. I’m blogging from Barnes and Noble with a delicious lemonade passion tea drink and cheese soup to keep me nourished. I’m experimenting. I originally intended to go to the “big city” library since I came to the “big city” (Fort Wayne) (let’s face it, any population with more than one grocery store is …

The Daring Ladies of Lowell by Kate Alcott — 4 out of 5 stars

I love historical fiction and when it features a strong and feisty heroine who is true to her ideals, I think I like it most. This book fit the bill. Alice is a farm girl with a dictatorial father. She chooses to leave the farm after her mother dies to work at the cotton mills in Lowell, Massachusetts. While working …

The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg — 5 out of 5 stars

I’m a long, long, long-time Fannie Flagg, author fan. One of my all-time favorite movies is Fried Green Tomatoes. Fannie Flagg wrote that. I love books that explore the lives of women. That’s one of the reasons I wrote my novel, The Pastor’s Wife Wears Biker Boots. I yearn for good girlfriend relationships, but I think they’re really difficult. I …

Live Blogging Realm Makers Conference: Keynote Speaker Tosca Lee

What an amazing day I’ve had at Realm Maker’s conference today! This morning’s Keynote Speaker was best-selling author, Tosca Lee. If you’ve never read any of her books, I highly recommend you do. Her style and voice are unique and powerful. As I wrote before, she has a voice akin to liquid velvet. I can’t get enough of her. Did …

Live blogging from Realm Makers Conference with BREAKING NEWS!

I’m in Radnor, PA for the Realm Makers Conference! I am a slightly surprised to find myself here but there’s a nagging in my heart to learn how to write compelling YA, specifically in the Steampunk vein. I’m not really sure what to expect, but so far things are good. On my drive to Pennsylvania there was a rainbow! That’s …