Often, when I give someone a book, I make it a habit to put a dated inscription inside. (If I give someone a book, it means I like it A LOT.) And if a bookstore or a reader asks, I delight in signing and inscribing books I’ve written. It’s a very personal, fun thing, yes? …Read More

  People die. That’s it. The End. When I was 12 years old, I couldn’t imagine that life beyond the age of 55 would be worth living (I’ve written about this before, but it keeps coming up.) I forget now why I chose 55. My own grandparents weren’t that much older, though I guess I …Read More

It’s that time of year. Well, it’s that time of year, too. But what I mean is that it’s the disappearing time of year. This December has been so warm that I’ve found myself pulled outside to wonder at the strangeness of the weather. The last week has been gray and humid and warm enough to …Read More

This summer, one of my dearest writer friends, J.T. Ellison, told me about a book she’d just read called Bohemian Gospel by fellow Nashvillian, Dana Chamblee Carpenter. “You must read it. It’s fabulous!” Now, J.T. is a voracious reader, and she doesn’t throw the word fabulous around lightly. She added, “By the way, it’s out from your publisher, Pegasus …Read More

Sometimes I get shy. Really shy. But I come by it honestly. I grew up being told that it was a Very Bad Thing to draw attention to oneself. So I guess I’ve picked a pretty strange career, right? Being a writer requires an odd combination of personal skills: an ability to spend hours, days …Read More

      I spent all last week on the couch, desperately trying to be well for my Saturday signing at the Carbondale Barnes & Noble. (Turned out I have a sinus infection that’s now, finally, almost mended.) The wonderful Heidi Houghton, from the store, had been working hard to set up a horror event for …Read More

If you know me, you know I tend to fudge a bit when someone asks me where I’m from: “Well, I was born in Cincinnati, and I grew up in Louisville.” But I was, indeed, born in Cincinnati, and it is the place of my earliest memories. Among my favorites are of going downtown with …Read More

When I write a novel or story, it doesn’t really belong to me. It belongs to the characters telling the story. Sure, I often write in the third person so that I seem to be observing. But I’m just the spokesperson for the vast array of characters that live–okay, I’m busted. I create them all …Read More

      It wasn’t until we were cleaning up the dinner dishes last Thursday night, and my husband mentioned that there were only three months left until Christmas, that I remembered that September 25th was a special anniversary for me. On September 25th, 2007, Isabella Moon, my debut novel, was published in hardcover. I took me eight years …Read More

  In October, I’ll be at the Bouchercon mystery convention. I attended my first one in 2006, just after I’d sold Isabella Moon to Ballantine, and loved every minute of it. It was so fun to go as a fan and just watch the panels and ask questions. Because, as a writer, I’m first and foremost …Read More