Blog
As a curious observer of life, I blog on writing, marketing, my prairie - anything that interests me in the moment. I like to have conversations with readers, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I'll respond.
Ever since Lake Union Publishing acquired my novel Go Away Home (re-launch on July 7), I get questions. Lots of them. About how it works, the advantages, the disadvantages. Jane Friedman invited me to answer the…
Read MoreA drum roll, please … When my novel Go Away Home re-launches on July 7, it will sport this brand new cover. As an indie author responsible for all aspects of publishing, I have to…
Read MoreI’m in Iowa City this week, sequestered at a bed & breakfast, doing a deep dive into writing my next novel. I write, I think, I walk, I write some more. All the while, I…
Read More“What was it like working with Amazon Publishing?” “Did it bother you to lose control?” “Is it still the same story?” These are some of the questions I’ve received since my novel Go Away Home…
Read MoreMany authors write a memoir first and then turn to fiction, as I did. While those first works of fiction often have some basis in real people and events, the outcome is largely fictional as…
Read MoreMemoirs and historical fiction are my normal reading choices. But every so often, I enjoy trying something different. Recently I caught a Dean Koontz interview on the CBS Sunday Morning show. Though I’d seen his books…
Read MoreRecently, I’ve considered perspective from high up in a hot air balloon and up close at Cadillac Ranch. I also had a chance to go deep with a visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico.…
Read MoreWe expect you celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Hopefully with enough restraint to leave room to celebrate a far newer day. Since Iowa Governor Branstad signed a Proclamation declaring March 18, 2015, “I Grew Up Country Day,” 50+…
Read MoreOn Monday, March 9, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad signed a Proclamation declaring March 18, 2015, “I Grew Up Country Day” – in Iowa and wherever food is produced. Haven’t heard of “I Grew Up Country”? Let…
Read MoreHot air balloons float over my house in Des Moines with some regularity in the summer. I’ve watched from the ground and wondered what it would be like to go up in one. What would…
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