Beauty and the Beast US Official Trailer

Can't wait to see this new Beauty and the Beast. It looks fantastic.

Bedtime Books

Hi guys,

Sorry I've been absent.  I'm not good at blogging, am I?
Writing the third book in the Evelina the Water Witch series is
keeping me pretty busy. This Young Adult Fantasy Series
is morphing into a wild, living, breathing thing- so many crazy
plot threads. Yikes!

But, I found some great poetry to add to my bedside collection for 
writing inspiration.  

It makes wonderful bedtime reading. 

Hope everyone's having a great summer!

The Wickedest Villain

A great villain needs to be monstrous. 

There are no half-measures when it comes to writing villains.  Go big or go home.

I knew that, but my latest villain for the third Evelina hadn't quite come into focus. Until, I dreamed about him last night.  Really, it was more of  a nightmare in that moment of drifting between awake and sleep. He was far more evil than I'd imagined.  He scared the pants off  me!

He was demonic--oozing all kinds of evil. I couldn't get him out of my head. I had to pray him away to go back to sleep.  

Now that's a villain.

It wasn't until I was cleaning my office this morning that I remembered the dream and realized who he was. Luckily, he's shown his face, just in time, when the story is taking off and I can't type fast enough.

Writing Clean Teen Fiction

If you're going to write Teen\YA fiction you have certain choices to make.

When I decided to write a YA Fantasy about Water Witches I had to decide on a heat level- sex or no sex. In the end, I choose to try to reach the broadest audience out there. I wanted to create a Teen\YA Fantasy with a lot of good clean fun --a wild witch adventure. There is some violence-- people die, it is scary, but nothing graphic.

I guess some of the older teens might be disappointed, but, I couldn't please everyone. There seems to be a lot of sex and violence out there already. Other authors have that covered. I really felt there needed to be more options for readers-- Teen\YA fiction without sex. 

Besides, I wanted it to be my story with a lot of wild and crazy magic.

In the end, I gotta be me.

Where to Hide and other Writer Tricks

Writing is thinking. For me that means silence.If you live in a busy household that's hard to find.
So you'd better have a few tricks up your sleeve.

Sometimes I escape to the garden to pick what's ripe, eat a few raspberries, pull a few weeds. Though, weeding can become as obsessive as editing, and before you know it, the day's gotten away from you, and there isn't a dandelion or a word left.

Mark Twain had it right, hunkering down in his little writing cottage. Sometimes an office just isn't  enough when the house is humming.  Especially if you like to jump up and down, make coffee, throw around laundry, or pluck your eyebrows, without leaving the story.

Deep conversation is the kiss of death. Sometimes even the clarification of a grocery list kills it. Hours of traveling to that certain place and time with all those wild emotions dissolves in a puff of smoke.

I'd settle for a tree fort.
Of course, I guess that wouldn't be settling.
It would be fantastic!
With a rope ladder and a trap door and a mossy vine to swing down with.
Well... you know where I'm going with this.

Writers on a deadline have been known to check into hotels. If you can't do that, jump into the car, go for a drive, find somewhere safe to park.

Hide under a bed or in a closet.
A board over the bath tub works just fine.

Good luck
I'll be cheering for you.

Happy New Year!

Here's to a wonderful year, filled with beauty, singing, dancing and laughter!
Lots of laughter.

And, many Happily Ever Afters that remind us of the magical power of love.


And, whenever you get lemons, remember, make pie.

Happy New Year!!!!!