I see, I listen, I think. Therefore, I write.
On Monday, March 5, I woke up to a most wonderful surprise— a book trailer for Welcome Reluctant Stranger. Pump Up Your Book is running a virtual book tour for this novel, Book 3 of the family saga, Between Two … Continued
I realized I’m an adventurous foodie when someone asked me these questions. Any favorite ethnic foods (including French and Italian?) Why? Having been exposed to many cultures, my tastes are eclectic so I will try most things (see this article, … Continued
I sometimes feel like an anachronism because I prefer inner-directed characters. Characters I’m more likely to find in the classics. I also tend to be more moved by the prose and stories of classic writers. With some exceptions, for sure. … Continued
My latest novel, Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies takes place in a diverse area of big and little treasures to entice your stomach and your heart. Today, I’m sampling white tea. I take my husband to his dance … Continued
I remember, as a child, eating dark, fragrant, and sweet rice cake so sticky it stuck to my teeth. I was three years old, and those rolls of black rice became my first delicious memories. Memories of standing past midnight … Continued
In the film Babette’s Feast, a highly-gifted chef schooled in cooking as high art escapes war-torn Paris. She finds herself living in gentle servitude to two good and pious but dour, nearly joyless, sisters. With no inkling who Babette is, … Continued
Some years ago, to learn how to use Windows Movie Maker, I borrowed movie clips and music that I cobbled together for some sort of makeshift music video. Stripped of other scenes and selected for their relevance to the music … Continued
I love Paris. Don’t you? My fascination with it compelled me to set two short stories in Brief Encounters with Solitary Souls in Paris. In my last post I refer to one of them. That story is not entirely fiction. … Continued
Quai des Grands Augustins teems with people on this cool but sunny May day in 2004. Often, you can’t get to the end of this Quai without bumping shoulders with other giddy tourists. This stretch on the left bank has … Continued
We’re lucky, we humans. We have words to express what we think, what we feel, and what we dream. But words are just one way for us to “say” who we are. Many of us also find art-making or music-making … Continued
Don’t you just love, get exasperated, get thrilled, even occasionally feel depressed at book reviews of your beloved creation? You pause, wallow in the feeling, and then, you tell yourself it’s as much about the readers as it is about … Continued
My niece—the only one I have—sent me a letter. Yes, a letter, with words in black ink that she packed tight on a card. Rarely will you receive letters like this, anymore. Or, at least, rarely have I. Emails are … Continued
I am a relatively unknown author at a time when all the numbers are against me. Of all the millions of books on Amazon, with more than 300,000 new releases every year in the US alone, why would anyone pick … Continued
I nearly zapped a historical romance out of my iPad in exasperation, while reading it one evening. Not because it was badly written. Nor was it boring. Rather, it annoyed me that for the umpteenth time, the author describes her … Continued
A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. So says Jane Austen—like her heroines, the ever sensible woman. She probably did believe that. Which is why her heroes are often rich either by inheritance (Darcy, … Continued