Hints for a More Successful Book Signing
After spending a lovely afternoon signing books at Beagle Books in Park Rapids, MN, I ponder again the mysterious alchemy involved in an author book signing. Every book store is different, as it should be. We all love the uniqueness of independent book stores. So in that sense, every book signing is different, too. I’ve […]
Lake Region Review 2011
This week I learned that my short story, MILDRED HANSEL, was chosen for inclusion in this year’s Lake Region Review. MILDRED HANSEL is one of a compilation of linked short stories about Minnesota dairy farmers in the 1940s that I’ve been working on for the past decade. They’ve been a pleasant diversion between the historical […]
What Makes a Book Worth Reading?
It’s cucumber season. While I was picking cucumbers and swatting deer flies today in our garden, I contemplated what makes a book worth reading. I’m a reader, don’t get me wrong. I’ve read thousands of books in my lifetime. Some were good, some were great. Some weren’t worth my time. Others changed my life. Right […]
North Brainerd Book Club
Book clubs are my favorite things! Since publishing ABERCROMBIE TRAIL in 2009, I’ve visited close to forty book clubs across the region. Each one is different. Each delightful in its own unique way. Last week I attended the North Brainerd Book Club at Krista Soukup’s home on Bluff Street. We sat in her beautiful screened […]
Tracking Sales on Amazon
Amazon.com has a tracking system that logs every sale in book stores all across the country. This makes it possible for authors to see where their books are selling and how many are being sold. After I got over the big-brother-is-watching response, I began to appreciate this information. As a regional author, I’m surprised by […]
Western Writers of America Convention at Bismarck, ND
What a great week! I’ve rubbed shoulders with historians, novelists, Spur Award winners and western writers of all genres. James Crutchfield, 2011 Owen Wister Award Winner, shared his passion for history, research and writing. What a privilege to hear him speak. Dusty Richards, author of Wulf’s Tracks and finalist for this year’s Spur Award for […]
Janice Holt Giles
People are always asking me about my favorite authors. One of my very favorites is Janice Holt Giles, a Kentucky writer, who wrote historical fiction in the 50s and 60s. I discovered her books in the 70s while I was a stay-at-home mom to our three children. I loved the way Giles set her early […]
Dreaming the Story
It’s been said that a novel is a long dream and that good writing allows the reader to enter into the dream and share the story. Robert Olen Butler’s classic book about writing fiction, From Where You Dream, says that the writer must first dream the story. He talks mostly about daydreams to walk the […]
Birthing a New Book
BIRDIE, book three in my Abercrombie Trail Series, was released about ten days ago. It’s been a busy time of book launches, contacting bookstores, and arranging events to promote the new release. Lisa Tucker, an instructor from the 2006 Taos New Mexico Master Novel Class, gave excellent advice. She said that having a new book […]
Birdie’s Book Launch
Last night was a wonderful celebration to launch BIRDIE into the world. It’s been a long time coming–I first started writing BIRDIE in 2005. Of course, I’ve revised and rewritten more times than I like to remember, but I am gratified to hold the final product in my hand and see the fruits of my […]