Each book I write contains either the mention, or a cameo of a real-life historical character. I love weaving these characters into my stories, but there is always a reason for their involvement. My goal is to recreate the feeling I experienced when I read my first romance novel in fourth grade, FOREVER AMBER. Real-life… Read More
Chocolate Sponge Candy – When Plots Fail This picture doesn’t tell the whole story. If you look at it at the different angles, the glob of caramel and chocolate might look tasty. News flash – it’s not. The candy tastes like a cross between sticky taffy, and playdough. It is an embarrassing fact that I… Read More
Whether you make dessert or write a story — preparation is critical. The beginning of a story starts with the question; What if? For example, the idea for my series, The Matchmaker Café, came to me while my husband and I were traveling in Scotland. We were both taking pictures and I was narrowing my… Read More
When I first started writing, Falling in Love with Emma, I’m sure it was a “dark and stormy night,” because I thought about the French-style of drinking chocolate…a lot. Spoiler alert. It’s a typical fall day in Seattle, and I’ve just brewed a warm cup of drinking chocolate. Yum! Anyway, back to the blog. In… Read More
Welcome Brownies – Or – How to bridge story lines. This is the first entry in my blog series that combines chocolate and the craft of writing. The first topic is how to bridge story lines. As I celebrate the release of the third book in the Matchmaker Café series, Falling in Love with Emma,… Read More
Last week I was invited to a bookclub to discuss my book,The Inscription. These amazing readers call themselves the Bibliobabes. They asked me where I got the inspiration for my novel, Christmas in the Highlands. That really was a cool story in itself. I was cleaning out some old keepsakes I’d found that belonged to… Read More
Is the “Kilt” a noun or a verb? —– Actually, it’s both! Because I write about stories set in Scotland, naturally I’ve done research on the topic. And what better way to do research than to actually visit the place. When my husband and I visited Edinburgh I bought a book on the proper way… Read More
With the re-release of THE QUEST, I was reminded how much I love anything to do with Scottish Highlanders. So much so, that I have started to write the sequel to THE INSCRIPTION about my clan of immortal highlanders. (Yes, I was a HUGE fan of the Highlander TV series with Adrian Paul). A sequel… Read More
SOUND —–The tone of a person’s voice can provoke a rainbow of emotions. A deep voice can make us feel grounded whereas a high pitched screech can put us on edge. Experiment the next time you are watching a television show or movie. Close your eyes and try to picture the person from the tone… Read More
The Sense of TASTE How do we learn? You’re probably wondering what an odd question. But ponder the question for a moment. In school, we are taught through listening to a lecture, through reading textbooks or through writing down answers or constructing sentences. When you read a novel those same principles are in play. Taste… Read More
