Novelista

Spending time away from your story is as important as writing until your knuckles cramp. With the holiday season tumbling upon us, it is easy to not write as much as you wish. Gift shopping alone can distract the most focused of writers. But, as we go about our business, our stories are on our minds. I often think about my characters, scenes or work out how I am going to get from plot point to plot point without losing continuity. Being pen and paperless can do wonders for a sticky situation. My mind can go over and over the scene changing details without wasting ink scratching out entire sentences or cramming words in-between my already close lines. Sometimes though, we need to not only keep our fingers away from our manuscripts but our minds as well. A clean break can revitalize our brains. Distractions can sweep away the clutter that may be dragging down our writing. Reading a book or watching tv or movies can work. Until you think about how you would have done it. Or...

Thanksgiving has passed. I hope everyone had a great holiday. Mine was a delicious blend of golden roasted turkey, sausage stuffing, sautéed green beans with bacon, cranberry mold, and cranberry relish. In the week that followed, I got some shopping done. Leftovers morphed into green bean and stuffing frittata and turkey chowder (even using the leftover gravy). The Christmas decorations have emerged from their slumber. Slowly but surely, the outside of my house gets greener. Small trees adorn my wrap around porch and my stained glass door. A large green wreath contrasts beautifully with the plain red brick of the 70s style addition. This year we added gold bows and ribbon to the lighted wreath. Soon, a wreath and matching garland will join the pot of white silk poinsettias at the front door. Along with the lighted old yew hedges, they will brighten the dark night as well as our spirits. Brightening our spirits in the dark times is what all the lights and decorations do ...

Many cultures celebrate the rite of passage when a person transitions into adulthood. Sometimes, it is as elaborate as a Bar Mitzvah or Quinceanera. Sometimes, it is as simple as graduation. While those ceremonies or celebrations mark milestones in a person’s life, does the person actually transition into adulthood? We walk through life going through milestones. At any milestone in my life, I did not say afterwards, “ Now , I am an adult.” A series of choices and life experiences as I age rounds maturity. But fiction is different. Or is it? Regardless of genre, fiction mirrors life. A character, like a person, needs a reason to develop. The passing of time does not automatically denote maturation. When developing maturity in a character, especially a younger character, an internal switch must flip. The internal switch is integral to how the character reacts to his or her surroundings. This must go beyond normal development when maturing a character. While any characte...

November conjures the autumnal finale. The last of the multicolored show cascades to the earth, poised to reinvigorate the cooling soil. Northerly winds promise to bring blustery billows of white. This is the perfect time to savor the fruits of this year’s harvest. Around the dining room table, we will gather with our loved ones before winter finally settles in. My turkey is ordered from a local farm. I anticipate oyster stew, sweet potato casserole, mashed rutabaga, brussel sprouts sautéed with chestnuts, cranberry mold, pumpkin and pecan pies, and lots of elation in the kitchen with my family. Thanksgiving is filled with fun, laughter and enough food to last us until Christmas. In the spirit of giving thanks, I want to share part of the Thanksgiving scene in The World In-between .

You can read the first chapter of my novel, The World In-between , at First Chap.  It's entirely free.  No signing up for anything.  No downloading anything.  Just click and read. The World In-between at First Chap Read more books' first chapters at First Chap

No, not the band. Actual pumpkins being smashed. Pumpkins that neighbors have set on their front porches. Smashed into itty bitty pieces on the streets and alleys. I live in a typical small town. We have a Main Street with a round about. Every holiday a parade marches down Main Street. Veterans are celebrated and memorialized. Music in the park melodizes the summer. An annual street fair kicks off fall. Before winter ushers in a lighted gazebo and wreaths on every streetlight running along Main Street, pumpkin guts riddle the streets. Every October pumpkins are sold at the grocery stores, home improvement centers, farmers’ markets and of course, at the farms themselves. Those pumpkins are carved, skillfully or unskillfully, with faces and designs by adults and children alike. Candles are placed inside to eerily illuminate the ever-lengthening nighttime. At some point, those decorative pumpkins become fodder for someone’s (or more than one’s) destructive enjoyment. E...

Day length shortens. The mercury drops. The urge for a steaming bowl of soup overwhelms you. Pumpkins. Cider. Red and yellow leaves. It all means one thing—Autumn is well on its way. Fall truly is one of my favorite times of year. When you begin to smell the drying leaves, split log fires, and house warming meals, you start to believe in all things magical. My sweaters and jackets come out of storage. I polish my fall boots. Driving through the rural countryside, haystacks dot the fields and signs advertise hayrides and cornfield mazes. I wait with anticipation for the rolling hills of trees to display their multitude of colors. With a mug of hot mulled cider, I cherish sitting around the firepit with my family and friends. We laugh while the fire spits and crackles. The night sky gets so clear you feel as though you can reach up and touch the stars. Capturing the beauty of an autumnal day on the page allows me to experience the magic of fall during any season. When...

Through the stained glass door, your destiny awaits.  Enter a magical world where the subjects of our fairytales took refuge. Live amongst the trees.  Fall in love.  Watch your back.  Battle for magic. The first in my new Fantasy series. Find the ebook at: Amazon , Barnes and Noble , iBooks , and Smashwords