Independence Days.

For many years, before I was published, I related not so much to other authors, but to musicians. Indie singer/songwriters just left of center. Not commercial enough to be commercial. The most influential for me was Aimee Mann, whose lyrics and voice I've long admired. My new novel, about halfway finished, is set in July in Nantucket, a tragic summer for one family, and the anniversary of another event that changed one of their lives long ago. The song "Fourth of July" by Aimee Mann has been something of a lighthouse for me on this book. Or a dark house, as the case may be. Long live the independent voices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOYI85anqmQ

Another great giveaway til April 15 only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Baking, reading, remembering.

At all my book events, I have been bringing along mini pies and thumbprint cookies with jam.

The baking figures prominently in my book trailer and in my book, because In ONE MORE DAY, the main character, Carrie Morgan, bakes with her grandmother, as she did when she was a little girl. However, it's not clear whether her grandmother is dead or alive. :)

As she says in the book, "How is it possible that someone dead smells so much like cookies?"

Many of my grandmother's and mother's recipes have been lost. But in their place, I have Ina Garten.

Fab February Fiction Giveaway.

If these books sound familiar to you, it's probably because you've heard about them on NPR, or in People Magazine, The New York Times, your favorite book blog or Goodreads -- now you can enter to win all 5 -- the most buzzed-about February fiction, all brought to you by the legendary Binders Full of Woman Writers.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

A fun interview.

I loved this interview at Book Club Babble so much I thought I'd share it.

Me, Babbling, here.

The book is coming. And lots of cool events. Here's February's lineup.

Empty Nest: New things vs. Old things.

When scheduling gets tight, and favorite things go undone, new things get crowded out. "Hey, let's do Pilates together!" becomes "Hey, let's do the dishes together!"

Also, it struck me on vacation that even the things we do the same, we do differently. Like hiking. Since I love scenery yet fear heights, I sometimes have to cover my eyes on the drive leading to the hike. He does not do this (which is a good thing, since he is driving.) And he does not slow down, until I yell, "Hey! slow down!"

We have hiked all over the world together, over many years, through various levels of fitness, pregnancy, and state of mind. My friends have all witnessed my breakdowns around the 5-mile mark. I have screamed a lot more than "Hey slow down!" over the years. I have screamed, "I'm hungry! I'm going back down to the cafe!" I have screamed, "I can't do it! Go get a ranger to carry me down!" And other times, I have simply said, "You climb hand over hand to the top. I'll wait here and you can tell me about it." And then, after watching elderly handicapped people pull themselves to the top, I followed, surprising him, shocking him, that I got over my fear.

But sometimes, going at my own pace, hanging back, affords me the opportunity to see something beautiful. Like my family, my gaggle of sprites, running through the dappled light.

Sometimes, there is a wonderful reason I am lagging behind.