You might be surprised to learn that I have many tasks that are aspects of my work but have nothing to do with writing books. I’m between drafts of book …
Fiction as an Escape
The busier I get, the more tasks I give to Frances. That seems fair, doesn’t it? She’s a character whose life I create. If I’m juggling a dozen tasks at …
Research: Rabbit Hole or Hamster Wheel?
I hear so often about that research rabbit hole and I admit I have fallen in myself, usually when reading old newspapers. I’ll find so many fascinating stories, yet not …
Brain Matters
I turned in book 7 to my editor a couple weeks ago and I’ve been playing with ideas for the next book in the series. No matter how many books …
Casting My Characters
I never feel that I know my characters very well until I finish the first draft of a manuscript. That’s one of the great things about writing a series. Characters …
Research Trip!
By the time A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder came out in 2018, I had already done enough research to plot three books. At the time, I didn’t know …
The Writing Community
I gave a talk for a local Rotary Club this week. Public speaking is not my favorite thing to do, but I keep telling myself the more I do it, …
The Victorian Life
I’ve been off social media and laying low for the past few weeks. My back surgery was successful and now that I’m out of the hospital and back home, my …
In the Eye of the Beholder
I never provide detailed descriptions of my characters in my novels. When I read, I rarely pay attention to character descriptions and decide for myself what they look like based …
A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder
I spend a lot of time browsing newspapers from 1899, the year my books are set. I do it for a few reasons; to immerse myself in the era, to …