It’s HAIKU time! Now, you wonder, why on earth would I say that? Because, as a writer, there is no better way to hone your craft, especially if you want your narrative strong, tight, and not superfluous. A Haiku, for those of you who don’t know, is a Japanese form of poetry. It has seventeen … Read more

Hello, everyone. I am very pleased and honored to announce that my two works, The Fish Tank: And Other Short Stories AND The Coin, have received the Silver Medal and Bronze Medal at the Readers’ Favorite 2018 Book Awards.  I am so, so thrilled about this (and also stunned), and can’t tell you what this … Read more

The advice you hear out there as a beginning author is, “write what you know,” as well as, “write something you’d like to read yourself.” That advice is sometimes easier said than done, especially if both statements are in opposition to each other. For example, I may like reading about a Chinese family and how … Read more

From The Fussy Librarian newsletter – an update on the trademark case. Smart judge. https://www.thefussylibrarian.com/newswire/for-authors/2018/06/01/judge-denies-injunction-request-in-cocky-trademark-dispute?mc_cid=c7dae0136e&mc_eid=6fa3ea2b5d SaveSave

Setting, in thrillers like The Coin, can be a powerful tool. Since I was living in an area where the landscape could create a serious conflict to the already threatened main characters, I used it to enhance the car chase scene in the beginning of the novel, and throughout another climactic scene. The photo will … Read more

This is what began the mayhem in poor Gabriela’s life. (The Coin: suspense, set in the French Riviera) “He reached into his pocket and retrieved a ten franc 1945 French coin, no longer in circulation. His fingers lovingly caressed the etched image of Napoleon, and thought that his only regret was not finding the coins, … Read more

Come join me and some wonderful authors to the Romantic Times Readers’ Convention in Reno, Nevada, on May 15-19. It’s going to be a ton of fun.