Literary Landscaping
I was weeding around the shrubs in my yard this weekend, which gave me a lot of time to reflect on what matters. My answer: Nothing. That’s right. Nothing matters. Let me explain. Maybe you need a better idea of…
Category: Rewriting
When You Want to Burn Your Novel Draft
I don’t even want to look at my novel draft. I want to burn it and watch the pieces float away and disappear forever. My characters are screaming at me, and I am ignoring them. The good news, I suppose,…
An Interview with Jeanne Blasberg, author of Eden
A sweeping family saga, Eden chronicles four generations of Meister Fitzpatrick women from 1915 to 2000. The book centers on an extraordinary summer home aptly named after the Biblical paradise. As the novel opens, the family matriarch, Becca, is faced…
Interview with Literary Agent Patricia Nelson of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
There’s a reason why Patricia Nelson receives top billing in my acknowledgments. Her editorial eye and support have been critical on the journey to publishing my debut novel, COTTONMOUTHS, out next month. I spoke with Patricia Nelson recently about her…
An Interview with Pamela Wechsler, author of The Graves
Pamela Wechsler’s new novel The Graves, the second in the Abby Endicott series, was published on May 2. It has garnered advance praise from Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, with the latter writing: “Catnip for readers attached to Boston, believably…
Show Them the Nutcracker: On Getting to the Point
A few years back, my husband and I went to a Boston Ballet performance of The Nutcracker. Behind us sat a mother and her five-year-old son, who was deeply psyched to be there, wriggling and fidgeting with glee. As soon…