Join me for a celebration!
You’re invited to a launch party for my brand-new Regency romantic comedy I’m pleased to announce that my newest romance novel is now available. I’m so proud of this story (and wait till you see the cover) that we’re having a party. On Friday, May 2, at 4 p.m. Central,…
Fall into Romance!
September 21 — the first day of autumn — is the perfect day to Fall into Romance! I’m pleased to announce the release of my brand-new Regency romance, A Marriage is Announced, just in time for Fall into Romance Day. Grey is still settling into his new role asViscount Hollister…
Little Bits…
….about a lot of things Is it only me who feels like summer has sped by, and I haven’t done anything really important? When I look at my list, however, I can see that isn’t quite true. There’s actually quite a lot going on that I wanted to bring you…
Turning Up the Heat
Hello from Iowa! In the last few months we’ve gone from winter to summer and back, sometimes within a single day. But now we seem to have settled into a beautiful spring, complete with lovely green grass (and pollen), trees in bloom (and pollen), flower gardens coming to life (and…
Spring, and Easter Eggs
As winter drags on in Iowa, I’m looking hopefully toward spring. One of my winter projects this year is to reread all of my Regency novels, novellas, and short stories, making a list of all the named characters. Something I’ve always enjoyed doing is tying my books together with little…
Happy Holidays!
Throughout this holiday season, I’m reminded of how my readers have become precious and treasured friends. I am thankful for each and every one of you! It’s been a while since I’ve created a post to bring you up to date — so there’s a lot of news to share.…
The Snarky Editor goes wide
Snarky becomes a new Substack venture In the last few years, I’ve had a lot of fun by putting on my hat as The Snarky Editor and commenting about the awkward, silly, and sometimes hilarious editing errors found in published books. Now I’m expanding the Snarky Editor to a larger…
It’s done!
Almost two years ago, my agent notified me that the rights to one of my books were due to be returned to me, and all I had to do was formally make the request. While I was at it, I went ahead and asked all my publishers to return the…
How ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm …?
Even though I grew up on a working Midwestern farm, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t get into the mind of a farmer enough to make a farmer character sound realistic. But I have to cackle like a hen when I run across the occasional big-time agricultural blooper. Everybody knew the…
Putting your ducks in a row
A/K/A, getting the modifiers and the clauses to line up right so everything makes sense There’s a natural flow to English – some kinds of descriptions simply sound better in one order than in another. The big brown dog sounds right; The brown big dog doesn’t. And the more complex…
Redundancy and other repetitions
Lately the Snarky Editor has been running across an unusual number of repetitive phrases. Most of them are thoughtless, because the author is just cruising along telling the story without stopping to think if the phrasing says something more than once. But all these repetitions cause the story pace to…
“Every working woman….”
“Every working woman needs a wife!” My first editor was the one who uttered that memorable phrase, in an interview with a local television station when she was visiting my hometown. But honestly, hasn’t every working woman said (or at least felt) much the same thing? I know I have.…
When expressions go astray
When an author thinks he or she knows the reference, and doesn’t stop to check, the results (like these examples from published books) can be amusing … and sometimes disconcerting. …your client will be waiting, hoping for her day in court where she might win a landfall. Unless she’s a…
Mr. Darcy’s Noble Blood
“He is a gentleman. I am a gentleman’s daughter. So far, we are equal.” – Elizabeth Bennet to Lady Catherine DeBourgh, in Pride and Prejudice Well… kinda. But the fact is, though Mr. Darcy himself can only claim the distinction of gentleman, because he doesn’t have an actual title, his…
Sir What’s-His-Name
Nothing says “lack of research” faster than getting the titles wrong in a historical novel set in England. When a hero is referred to as Lord John Smythe one minute and as Lord Smythe the next, or he’s Sir John Smythe sometimes and Sir Smythe at other times, or the…
If you can’t spell it…
Just make it up! At least, that’s what a few authors seem to think is appropriate. Here are some examples from recently-published books: When his dad died from sorosis of the liver and Bobby went to clean out his place, he only took one of his father’s personal effects: the…
Look it up!
Years ago when I was writing a romance about a television reporter, I tried and tried to remember the name of the award in television that’s the equivalent of a Pulitzer. It was the Dark Ages B.G. (Before Google) – and in those days if you didn’t already have a…
Creating Suspense in Fiction
Suspense is what keeps the reader turning pages, anxious to find out why and what and when and how. Suspense is what makes the reader worry about the characters — whether they’ll be all right, if they’ll finally reach their happy ending. Now, we’re not necessarily talking about suspense in…
So close, and yet so far
When almost the right word just isn’t good enough… A few head-scratching examples, found in published books, of how the author almost got it right. “I can practically feel the vitamin D soaking into my pours” Pouring down on her pores, perhaps. “My heart swelled at the name, but I…
Secondary Characters
A question from a reader about creating and using secondary characters prompted me to think about the people in a book as though they were actors in a movie — complete with pay scales. If an actor speaks in a movie, even if it’s just one line, the actor’s union…