The time change last weekend has screwed up not only my inner clock, but my kids. It’s never happened like this before. Usually, the time change is but an irritable bump in the weekend. But it’s already Thursday and my kids can’t get to sleep at night and they are monsters to wake up in the morning. Last week, all my kids got up on their own by seven (usually much earlier) and getting them ready for school was never a problem. Now? My husband and I have to wake them up multiple times, showers are rushed, lunches are small,… Read More

Fellow romantic suspense author Shiloh Walker introduced me to Pinterest when it was still in its beta version and participants had to be issued and invitation. I don’t know whether to thank Shiloh or curse her! I go through social media “phases” where sometimes I’m more active on Twitter, sometimes on Facebook, but Pinterest is one of those places where I visit at least once a day and just enjoy the visual aesthetics. Maybe I like it because I’m a visual person. I don’t have a fraction of the followers on Pinterest as the other social media sites, but that… Read More

It’s Toni’s day today, but she’s helping her brother Mike get settled. He’s been released from the hospital (yeah!) and she’s been working double time to make sure he has everything he needs to recover. I know she has a lot to share, so come back in two weeks for an update. AND continue sending Mike and Toni your prayers and positive thoughts. In the meantime … For those of you who have been following Murder She Writes for a few years, you know that I love television. I love television more than going to the movies. Sure, there are… Read More

I’m preparing for my RWA workshop: Thrills & Chills. Writing Romantic Suspense and Thrillers. Normally, I don’t do a lot of preparation for workshops because I only give a few of them, and I’ve given them multiple times so I can practically do it in my sleep. However, T&C is new. I presented it at the Arizona Dreams RWA conference and realized I had far too much information to share in a one hour time slot. So I’m focusing on the one thing that truly separates suspense from all other genres: stakes. There are three things that work in tandem… Read More

I’m preparing for my RWA workshop: Thrills & Chills. Writing Romantic Suspense and Thrillers. Normally, I don’t do a lot of preparation for workshops because I only give a few of them, and I’ve given them multiple times so I can practically do it in my sleep. However, T&C is new. I presented it at the Arizona Dreams RWA conference and realized I had far too much information to share in a one hour time slot. So I’m focusing on the one thing that truly separates suspense from all other genres: stakes. There are three things that work in tandem… Read More

As you all might remember, I’d never watched BONES until the end of last year when I spent four months watching the first six seasons, one show every night except for President’s Day weekend where I watched the entire truncated season three when I was sick for three days. (You can read more about my thoughts on this show over at Heroes & Heartbreakers, where I blogged about how they screwed up Booth and Brennan’s relationship.) I’d become so accustomed my new schedule of late night television, that when I was all caught up on my series, I needed something… Read More

As I write this blog, I have three major things going on in my life (outside of the kids, which is always like herding cats or juggling knives, depending on the day.) First, I’m writing a speech for the Desert Dreams conference this weekend in Arizona. When Rocki reads this, she’ll want to strangle me (fortunately, she lives 3,000 miles away) because she’s a staunch believer in writing, rewriting, and practicing speeches. I, on the other hand, usually have an idea, write it on the plane, read it out loud and edit when I get to the hotel, and then… Read More

In January, I wrote a blog called SPEAR THE MONSTER where I cut open a vein or two and shared my struggle writing SILENCED. It was difficult on multiple levels. But then I got these yesterday: Even though SILENCED is my 18th novel, I was just as thrilled as when I held the first copy of my debut novel. Maybe even more excited, and relieved, because this book was so hard for me. Holding the book I stressed over was cathartic. SILENCED received a top pick from RT Book Reviews, another validation that the sweat and tears poured out while… Read More