I can’t remember when I couldn’t read. Picking out letters from the newspaper, storybooks, or off milk cartons made my day. My mother introduced me to the library at an early age and I still can recall how excited I was the day I printed my name and received my very own library card. My […]
Many of you know I stepped down from the bench a year ago to give myself the freedom to write during the day. The results were mixed. In the beginning, I couldn’t get disciplined enough to do much more than organize my daughter’s wedding, travel, and watch every possible episode of How I Met Your […]
Juliet in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet proclaimed that “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Although this is often taken to mean what’s in a name, I have discovered that the same can be said for book covers. This month, Harlequin Worldwide Mystery is featuring a mass market version of […]
by Debra H. Goldstein Starving artists, writers, and other creators of the arts often share the sentiment that personal satisfaction is enough. The claim is that it doesn’t matter whether or not an audience exists for the work. As many writers explain, “I write because I have to.” For those of you who feel that […]
I’m not a writer’s writer. If I could claim that distinction, I would follow a schedule – perhaps coffee, exercise and writing before and after a short lunch until so many words or pages are completed. I marvel at writers who live a pre-ordained lifestyle that produces a specified number of words or pages stopping […]
The different ways authors work is intriguing and educational. While reading the thirteen stories included in Mardi Gras Murder, a short story anthology published by Mystery and Horror LLC, I wondered if the other authors had approached their crime themed stories as I did when writing Who Dat? Dat the Indian Chief! To answer my […]
A few months ago, my husband and I lived through the insanity (with love) of our daughter getting married. The strategic planning and balancing of family, friends, and vendors was worse than plotting a novel. When I recently read Murder with Ganache: A Key West Food Critic Mystery by Lucy Burdete (aka Roberta Isleib), I […]
In my last blog, I wrote about the caring community created by the twenty-five of us stranded at the YWCA. What could have been a horrible experience became a warm and wonderful time as we all helped each other make it through our unexpected stay. As I struggle to find my voice and place as […]
Today is Valentine’s Day. A day of love and caring. Although I could write about romance, hearts, and Valentines, the unexpected snow/ice storm in Alabama and Georgia taught me a lot about reaching outside of one’s heart. This week, I share the Valentine I received during the storm. This is the first of a two-part […]
21 ANYONE? by Debra H. Goldstein This week, one of my friends threw a birthday party for her son who turned 21. On my way home from the party, I thought about the relevance of the number twenty-one. For my friend’s son, it meant reaching the age of majority. He probably should […]