These past few days have been lovely in our little corner of Southern Illinois. The temperature hovered between 65 and 70 degrees today, and last week’s rain made everything explode with life. (I’m sure that includes snakes and spiders, too, but we won’t talk about that.) I feel like I’ve spent months and months …Read More
What does a writer do the day after she sells her latest book to a publisher? Why, she gets back to work, of course. I just finished drafting a 10K word gothic story. (No, I didn’t do it all in a day this time!) The title is Stone Angels. At least it is for now…I actually wrote …Read More
Guess what?! Don’t worry, I’m not really going to make you guess. I’ve been dying to share the news: One Last Secret, the novel I finished a couple of months ago, has found a home with Mulholland Books in both the US and UK!!!! Emily Giglierano at Mulholland is my new editor in the US, and …Read More
If you caught my Sunday Instagram, you know I spent lots of time yesterday cleaning my refrigerator. I won’t give you all the gory details, but suffice it to say, I realized it wasn’t clean in hidden (and not so hidden) places. It started with my noticing a nearly empty shelf with …Read More
Life is not a solo act. It’s a huge collaboration, and we all need to assemble around us the people who care about us and support us in times of strife. —Tim Gunn Tim Gunn is my favorite fashion wiseman, and this quote speaks volumes about his positive and generous spirit. I’ve been …Read More
The Not-Too-Serious List: Oh, my. Plants may be able to hear, and can sense water even when it’s behind plastic. Also, they know when they’re being eaten. *shudders* Soooo, the Dynasty reboot has a trailer. Looks like fun in an over the top evening soap opera way. The King of the Netherlands has been secretly …Read More
It’s still Friday somewhere, yes? I was exhausted from sorting and hauling and shopping and laughing and running through the lightning/rain yesterday, and fell asleep in my hotel room in Champaign last night before I could get the blog up. And today there was more of the same, though fortunately little rain. But my …Read More
Making new friends on the road is one of my favorite parts of my job. Today I want to introduce you to the talented/adorable/funny Amy E. Reichert. I’m so thrilled that she dropped by the Handbasket to answer a few questions and show off her latest novel, The Simplicity of Cider, which came out on Tuesday. …Read More
Today I go to my baby girl’s apartment to help her get ready to move far, far away. We’ll have her back home for just a couple of weeks in June, but then she goes to her summer gig, and from there to start a new life far south of here. Nora’s been away from home at …Read More
Earlier this winter I visited the Cincinnati Art Museum–one of my favorite museums–with my son. These sculptures are the inspiration for the as-yet-unnamed Southern gothic short story I’m finishing up right now. I could have looked at these all day. …Read More