Bios we wish we had are all about regrets and unfulfilled ambitions. Luckily, I have plenty of both. It turns out, I do regret the things I didn’t do more than the things I did—mostly. Here are a few things I’d love to add to my bio: Lara Lillibridge was brave enough to go with the stepsister she had never met on a burro-trip through the Grand Canyon when…
In 2012 I lost one of my best friends to cancer. Sharon was only forty-two years old, and left behind an amazing husband and two young kids. It happened fast. In May she was healthy, driving up to Los Angeles to take me out for my birthday. By August it had metastasized to her liver and bones, and by the following March, we’d lost her. It changes you, to watch…
1. Fear of Being Considered a Grey’s Anatomy Knockoff: I hear this a lot. My book contains some similarities to the TV show Grey’s Anatomy, apparently. That’s fine, especially because people love that show. For the record, though, I just wanna state: I have never, even once, watched it. I don’t like medical dramas, partly because I’ll fixate on some inaccurate detail and then ruin the show for everyone else…
I really don’t like talking about fear. Oh, little fears, sure. I detest rollercoasters because I’m sure they’re going to break and kill me, I’ve been known to dive under picnic tables to get away from wasps which are clearly dark minions sent forth from the bowels of hell, and my horror of open water has been reinforced for decades by nightmares and augmented by that time my baby sister almost…
Y’all. I didn’t get home until almost 7 last night. I’ve only spent one entire day at home since August 13th, and I am a homebody. I (try to) maintain a full-time job, a healthy marriage, and I’m currently actively working on THREE manuscripts. And that’s not taking into account the dogs, or exercise, or eating real, healthy food on a regular basis. I clearly did not get the memo…
Can you believe the color and transparency of Island Lake (above)? I took that photo last summer in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. It’s one of my happiest of happy places, a place to which I can transport myself when I’m stressed or upset – so needed this week since we’re talking about publishing fears. The other day a few of us Debutante Ball authors were commiserating about our pre-publication jitters…
My top 10 Halloween Season Publishing Nightmares: Simon and Schuster calls. They’re terribly sorry, but they thought this whole time that Amy Poehler wrote SMALL ADMISSIONS. They appreciate my understanding for the mistake and would ask me to please return the advance at my earliest convenience. I am reading in front of a big crowd at a book store and suddenly have a hot flash, flop-sweat debacle to the degree of Albert…
This week, in prep for Halloween, the Debs are writing about their biggest fears about publishing. The quote in the headline comes from Thomas Hardy in his “A Laodicean.” I found it apt for this post. Why? Because I’m a worry-wart. I probably should have added that to my confessions post,. I over-think nearly most every situation, prepping myself for what might come. I recently learned that the term for…
Publishing is full of big leaps. You sign with an agent after a twenty-minute phone call. You sell your book to an editor you most likely have never met in person. When your book comes out there are all sorts of leaps—giving public readings, doing interviews, writing essays and op-eds—endless opportunities to do things you have never done before. But what I consider to be my biggest jump happened many…
This week on the Debutante Ball, in celebration of the winter solstice, we are writing about the dark times of writing–moments when we thought about quitting or let our doubt get in the way. Recipe for an unfinished novel Ingredients 1 work in progress 1 workshop, preferably your first one 1 bag of peanut M&Ms 1 famous author/instructor 1 bullying workshop attendee 8 other workshop students Instructions 1. Read aloud…
