It’s been so long since I’ve been in touch, I imagine that I should write you a letter like the ones people send at holidays: “And here we are in Santorini! Harald is no longer a guest of Her Majesty, so we kept the champagne flowing the entire trip. Doesn’t he look wonderful? …Read More

It’s still October, the spooky month, and I’ve been looking at all the deals on horror novels out there. Horror is hot right now–Mr. King gave it a big kick in the pants with the long-related release of the film adaptation of IT. That’s pretty cool. And a rising tide of blood affects all boats–isn’t …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

      The thing about writing stories and publishing is that they’re both very much like that old Lay’s potato chip slogan: You can’t eat just one. (No, please don’t eat books–no matter how much you love them.) So many people I’ve met who say they want to write, or want to be a writer, claim …Read More

  BLISS HOUSE is number four. I never imagined I would have four novels out in the world, all available in one form or another. In fact, for at least half of my life I never thought seriously of being a writer at all. But then I suddenly, irrevocably, absolutely knew that it was what I …Read More

Oh, good! I’ve been tagged. Welcome to the latest stop on The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. This particular blog tour invites writers to answer ten questions about their current Work in Progress, or forthcoming project. Each tagged writer answers the questions, then tags five or more writers to answer the questions on their blog, …Read More

It’s been a crazy-busy month (or four). I started the process of e-publishing DEVIL’S OVEN (it’s here and here, btw!) way back in November, and, even as late as my most recent blog post, I was sure I would have it–as well as my backlist–up and available the first week in March. Three weeks ago. …Read More

One week ago today I was on my way home from the Love Is Murder Conference up in Wheeling, Illinois. I took the train home out of Chicago’s Union Station–the ride was pleasant, but boarding was a surreal experience. What is it about train boarding announcements that cause people to immediately become angry and aggressive? …Read More

So, 2009 caught me without a New Year’s Day blog. I’ve been ruminating, but mostly I’ve been freaking out about–uh, change that to carefully planning for–my Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts tour. It starts today, as a matter of fact. My first stop is the Carbondale, IL, Barnes & Noble. I’ll be there from 1:00 until …Read More

Some novelists envision their novels in fragments, writing a climactic scene or even the ending first. But I started at the beginning with Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts, describing the strange little ritual three teenage girls had come up with to conjure up a boyfriend (never would they have used the word “lover”) for themselves. The …Read More