Do you watch house-hunting shows? Aren’t they lovely? The new owners go from finding their dream home to blissfully reporting back at the end of the show that they are so glad they did it, while the camera zooms around their completely set-up new digs. It makes moving look absolutely delightful. But the truth is … Continue reading
Most of the readers I know don’t just “enjoy” reading—we love it. Must read. Can’t imagine a day without it. With this in common, it’s very interesting to consider how differently we all do the same thing. [source: giphy] Some favor routine: a favorite time and location, perhaps with a desirable beverage. And many people … Continue reading
It is lovely and appreciated when readers ask questions. However, I don’t always feel as though I’ve answered satisfactorily–sometimes not giving enough information and other times sharing too much. For example, I once participated in a group interview in front of a crowd who had just held a lively and joyful conversation with another author … Continue reading
Over the years, I’ve heard many authors describe their books as having come into being by some variation of this: “A character appeared and I followed.” Once upon a time, I found such explanations slightly frustrating: I had always longed to write a novel, and I even had the basic idea for a mystery in … Continue reading
In the mystery course I recently taught, we found the ending of Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced to be both disconcerting and glorious. There are many wonderful aspects to her writing, but we were most engaged by how she gracefully “undoes” the characters we felt we knew because she had built them so convincingly. … Continue reading
Yes, I already recounted the Ikea Bookshelf Saga, but may we please talk about bookshelves one more time, as a prequel of sorts? (Then, I promise, we never have to speak of them again.) It’s just that…they are so versatile and present. They can change a room, make artistic statements. There’s a reason they are … Continue reading
When Ikea opened in our town a number of years ago, I thought it would be fun to check it out. What I didn’t know was that the store is set up so that you are shuttled through every single section until you reach the end. You are swept along in one relentless flow through … Continue reading
