Why we REALLY care about Britain’s royal family

For the second time in two years, the world is hovering over its computers and stealing covert glances at the office television, waiting to celebrate an ordinary life milestone of a not-so-ordinary couple. 

Most of us will never meet Prince William or Duchess Kate Middleton. Most of us will never come within twenty feet of a single person in the line of succession to the British throne – and there are dozens. So why do we waste any of our precious time on Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, or Prince Harry’s partying, or the birth of some foreign child who might inherit an emblematic semblance of power in fifty years? Continue reading

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Tapping the fitness gurus

fitness goalsAs a writer, it’s tempting to shun the daylight, fall into a sedentary rut, and start measuring progress not by words on the page but by the indent on my rolly chair. This, believe it or not, is rarely a good idea.

To avoid this fate, I’ve made it a point to do some sort of exercise every day – whether it be an hour of P90x (lean, of course), a hike with my dog, or an episode of Friday Night Lights on the elliptical. It’s become as much a part of my daily routine as drinking coffee and brushing my teeth… but it still takes will power. Continue reading

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It happens here, too

Westchester Mag - GatewaysBack in the fall, I visited the Jewish Child Care Association’s sprawling campus in Pleasantville, N.Y., to sit down with Janmarie Brown for a feature in Westchester Magazine.

Brown is director of Gateways, a residential program for girls who have experienced the horrors of domestic trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Some are as young as twelve years old, some have refused help only to come back again, and many have rewritten their lives thanks to Brown and her staff.

So many people think of trafficking as a foreign problem, something that doesn’t happen in their back yard. Continue reading

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Spring Gardening & Kiwi Magazine

april-may-new-issue-post-imageCheck out the April/May issue of KIWI, a fantastic up-and-coming magazine that helps families cook, play, eat, grow, and live organically. The current issue offers recipes to please picky eaters, advice on reinventing your career after kids, and my article about bringing that spring garden to life.

Many thanks to my expert sources: Fern Marshall Bradley, author of Rodale’s Vegetable Garden Problem Solver; Barbara Pleasant, author of Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardensand Sarah Pounders, education specialist with the National Gardening Association.

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It’s out!

This month’s Prick of the Spindle is out, and guess whose name is in the table of contents… Right next to the story called Swampfront Luxury

Give up?

Well, go find out! You can see it for free here or buy it for the Kindle here. Continue reading

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Prick of the Spindle literary mag

I’m thrilled to announce that Prick of the Spindle literary magazine has picked up my first short story, “Swampfront Luxury.”

It tells the story of a young woman coming to terms with a tragic accident, decades after-the-fact. If you like twists, family drama, internal resurrection, or just the breeze of the sea, definitely check it out.

Find it on Kindle March 31 or prickofthespindle.com March 23.

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Where’s the Love? Blog Hop

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’m participating in the fabulous Heather Webb’s “Where’s the Love?” blog hop. Squishing a meaningful amorous scene into 250 words is tough… so I did the best I could. Please read, leave comments, and then hop around to the other writers’ sites (scroll down) and do the same for them. With every comment comes a chance to win chocolate!!
 
Note: This is from my current WIP, the second book in the Desperately Ever After series, so didn’t want to give too much away! DEA is currently being shopped to publishers by Michelle Brower of Folio Literary Management.
 
My Blog Hop Contribution:
 

Belle waited for the punch line to his compliment. When none came, she looked up to see Gray staring at her. His entire body seemed tilted and his eyes – wide and stormy now – pulsated in time to her heartbeat.

“Would you mind closing the doors a bit?” she asked, motioning to the fireplace. Continue reading

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Blog Hop for Valentine’s Day

Just three days until the fabulous Heather Webb’s “Where’s the Love?” blog hop!

Stop by  February 14-15 to read a short scene from my current WIP, book two of the not-yet-released DESPERATELY EVER AFTER series. I promise there will be sexual tension ;)

You can indulge, comment, and then hop around to the other writers’ sites (as will I) and nibble on some more. After all, what is Valentine’s Day about if not sampling? Sampling chocolates… sampling lips… sampling fantasies… Continue reading

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February 11, 2013 · 12:22 PM

For My Fellow Dog Lover Writers


There are only 7 days left to submit something for the AKC Family Dog’s 26th Annual Fiction Writing Contest.

I’ve been very into dog fiction lately, ever since I found a copy of Dog is My Co-Pilot: Great Writers on the World’s Oldest Friendship at a Cape Cod flea market. It’s filled with fantastic (funny, sad, inspiring, etc.) stories about humans and their beloved canine friends. Continue reading

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January 23, 2013 · 10:29 AM

Revision Vision

I finished the second book in the Desperately Ever After series over the holidays, and now it’s on to those wonderful weeks of revising.

Luckily, while I sometimes want to throw my computer at the wall, I do in some sick and twisted way love revising. This is when the layers really start to emerge.

For me, the first draft puts me at JFK airport on a two-hour layover. The second, third, and come-what-may drafts get me out onto the streets, strolling Riverside Park at sunset, smelling the chestnuts at the corner of 43rd and Madison, soaking in the lights at Times Square, riding the glass elevators in the Marriott… you get the idea. Continue reading

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