As fall settles into upstate New York, I find myself thinking about all the ways my life is beginning to change. Already, I find my window of time outdoors growing smaller as the evening chill and darkening sky make my warm, well-lit living room seem like the more enticing option. I seldom bake in the summer, but this time of year my love of cooking kicks in and the kitchen fills with the smell of pumpkin bread, molasses cookies, and thick garlic laden soups. I sleep easier at night wrapped in soft blankets, but waking is harder once the morning sunlight no longer streams through my windows. Unfortunately, my son and I both have seasonal allergies, so fall brings runny noses and itchy eyes, and winter will bring sneezy, miserable colds. In our area, construction projects come to an end after the summer rush, and we stock up on fire wood and battery powered lamps and candles in anticipation of the winter storms. Read More...

As fall settles into upstate New York, I find myself thinking about all the ways my life is beginning to change. Already, I find my…

Writer. Yes, folks, this is going to be a writing blog. ;-} Read More...

Writer. Yes, folks, this is going to be a writing blog. ;-} I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate my husband for becoming a…

The following is a short excerpt from my book Writing and Selling the YA Novel, published by Writer’s Digest.  This section appears in the chapter on finding ideas, and it focuses on one of the most frequent litmus tests used by agents and editors to decide if a proposal is worthy of publication. Knowing whether your idea is an article or a book is crucial to making a sale. It’s also essential for writers who need to maximize their time and energy. Read More...

The following is a short excerpt from my book Writing and Selling the YA Novel, published by Writer's Digest.  This section appears in the chapter…