The current controversy over the Oprah Book Club pick, AMERICAN DIRT, has made me think about truth or fiction. Specifically, how do we as writers approach material that is either historical or societal based? We need to do our due diligence and do research. Novelists dig into oral histories...

Tulo is on the mend! He’ll get his e-collar and bandage off on Friday. In the meantime, he’s taking short walks with a Nike sock on his paw.  ...

(This is a continuation of handouts that I recently distributed at a writing seminar.) –a part of us is in every character –who are we called to write about? (Could be someone in our life, could be someone we see in a news report, someone in a dream/imagination) QUESTIONS...

Tulo is recovering nicely from his toe amputation. He’s still a bundle of energy, which probably means that he’s in less pain than before. The cone and bandage stay on for another 10 days. Both of us can’t wait until it’s off....

I’m posting a series of handouts that I’ve prepared for past writing seminars. Here’s one on forming a writing workshop. A workshop can help you to be accountable to other writers and regularly produce pages. Naomi’s Guidelines for Running a Writing Workshop Determine goals and purpose with first the...

Yes, this baby getting some surgery this week. He’ll lose a toe to possibly save his life. I think that he will adjust. Please think good thoughts and pray for him this Friday.  ...

I’ll be speaking to the Stanford Club of Pasadena and the Stanford Professional Women this Sunday on the topic, Writing and Publishing in a Text(ing) World. For more information, go here: https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/events/details?event_id=31478 I’ll be distributing a number of handouts. Here’s one of them: How to Find an Agent (updated...

Tulo and I cheered on runners on the Pasadena Marathon and 5K route this past Sunday....

With the Oscar nominations and in our mystery genre, the Edgar announcement to come in a few days, observers are fixated on awards. But the older I get in the publishing industry, the more I’ve become fixated on sales. There have been campaigns notably in the children’s literature to...

Tulo has been waiting patiently for the release of these two books: Scott Kikkawa’s KONA WINDS, a mystery set in 1950s Hawai’i, will be out this week, while Margaret Dilloway’s new middle-grade book featuring my favorite–improv–will be released in June!...