New look for the newsletter

Jun 13, 2024

The newsletter is moving to a new platform, Substack, where some of my favorite newsletters hang out.

I hope you’ll stick with me through the inevitable bumps as I adjust to a new way of newslettering. (No, that’s not a word, and when I see it in print, I realize why.)

The content will be the same – some thoughts on writing; book news and events as they arise; what I’m reading, and of course what I’m baking because writers require sustenance, which is just a fancy word for distraction.

Finally, a word about the typewriter logo. It’s adapted from the world’s coolest gift, a personalized steel sign from Theresa Davis, a friend who’s also my son’s mother-in-law (dude really lucked out). It’s from East Coast Sign Art, and as Theresa said, “If you can think it, we can probably make it.)

Here we go!

Midnight mind rambler

I’ve learned the hard way to write it down whenever I have even the slightest flash of inspiration about a writing project, even when it’s so stunningly brilliant that I’m sure I’ll remember it.

I never do. Ever.

For years, these insights lived on scraps of whatever piece of paper was handy, and inevitably got lost almost as quickly as whatever thought wasn’t written down.

For all their annoyances, thank heavens for cellphones. Now I text myself memos that I’m sure will make sense later. Way too many of these thoughts occur in the middle of the night, and their sleep-addled brevity often makes for some morning confusion.

Such as “Get George high.” OK, this one is easy. George is a character in the WIP. But why does he need to be high, other than the fact that it’s completely out of character for him and therefore will be fun to write? (Very important to keep the writer amused. Let’s hope the reader is, too.) Oh, right, there’s this scene ...

At which point, I’ll either go to the manuscript and inject some silliness right away into ol’ stiff-necked George, or make a note directly on the page to do same during revisions.

Others: “Helping about revenge.” That’s it. That’s the note. I never did figure it out. Chalk this one up to an Autocorrect ambush.

“Silence/Palermo/weird.” That actually makes sense. Palermo is anything but silent, so a hush would be creepy as heck.

“That mouth.” Ummm ... kissable? Smiling? Snarky? And, whose? So many options.

You get the idea.

Here’s a wide-awake thought:

“Writer’s brain. Hopeless.”

Book news: New life for old(er) books

Silent Hearts, my novel about the lives of women in Afghanistan following the fall of the Taliban in 2001, came out in 2018. In publishing terms, that might as well be a century ago. Lately, though, it’s seen a bit of a resurgence – I’ve done several meetings with book groups about Silent Hearts in the last few months and also have heard from individual readers who’ve discovered it. The attention is bittersweet – the book takes place during a hopeful moment in Afghanistan’s history, but recent years have seen those hopes, especially where women are concerned, crushed by the return of the Taliban. Still, it warms my heart to think my novel might help raise even a tiny bit of awareness of the unforgivable plight of women there.

On a lighter note, a reader who’d just finished Best Laid Plans, my first book in a series featuring amateur sleuth Nora Best, suggested that the book fits perfectly into the whole Man vs. Bear debate on social media.

You know what? I think it does, too. For sure, there’s a bear. And a very bad man. Maybe a new marketing strategy?

Bake of the month: Limoncello cake

A bottle of so-so limoncello has been sitting in the back of our fridge for far too long, largely because we got snooty after having some good homemade stuff.

Surely there were recipes requiring limoncello? Oh, so many. I was most intrigued by those for cakes that used olive oil instead of butter. I’m as snooty about butter as I am about good limoncello, so I was skeptical.

No more. This delight is moist and flavorful and keeps well for days. Also, the olive oil lets me pass it off as healthy. Win-win, yum-yum.

What I’m reading

It’s always cause for celebration when James Lee Burke releases his annual novel, and I’m especially excited about this year’s, Clete. It focuses on one of my favorite characters, Dave Robicheaux’s buddy Clete. I can’t wait to read this one from the “big mon’s” point of view.

I love books that transport me to another place and time, and The Henna Artist does just that. Alka Joshi’s novel takes place in Jaipur in the 1950s, but the prescribed roles for women remained centuries old. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Somehow I’d never read anything by Jodi Picoult, but I remedied that recently with Mad Honey, which Picoult co-wrote with Jennifer Finney Boylan. It’s nearly impossible to write anything about this book without spoilers. Suffice to say, it sparked one of the best discussions in our book group. In addition to being a good read, it’s educational on an important subject.

Sign me up

I love talking with groups about books or writing in general, either in person or via the magic of Zoom. I also give writing workshops, perfect for libraries and writing groups. Interested? You can contact me via my website or by messaging me here.