Author Blog

Civil Engineer to Writer?

3:00 PM PDT, July 26, 2006

I have been asked how a civil engineer became an author. I reply, "Why does it take three civil engineers to change a light bulb? One to change the light bulb and two to write an environmental report."

Over the years I've had to write these environmental reports, which are actually small books.

A Workshop Success!

3:00 PM PDT, July 26, 2006

At my last workshop in Carlsbad (July 11th), I had a gentleman who had attended an earlier one in Oceanside (May 24th) who showed me his manuscript and he had incorporated all my suggestions from the workshop. He is a retired grandfather from a family of 16 brothers and sisters. He describes how that when he was a young boy during the depression, his father was killed by a drunk driver while standing in their front yard. His story describes how all the children worked to support the family and his life since then. He also includes a description of all the relatives with about 50 pictures. I told him he should name his book, "If it is cheaper by the dozen, how much do 16 cost?". He is now printing 10 copies spiral bound as I suggest in my workshop for less then $99.00. When these have been proofed, he intended to have 70 printed as gifts for the relatives.

Playing Hooky

8:55 AM PDT, July 17, 2006

I have to admit to playing a little hooky this month. I can't complain because I'm fulfilling a lifelong dream, however, promoting a book can be a bit overwhelming at times and what better way to escape than driving a convertible up Highway 1 on the California coastline to Monterey. The scenery, hiking and horseback riding were all wonderful.

Here's the funny part though: I forgot to put on my wedding ring when we left and discovered a whole new world. We were seated at window seats at every restaurant, bell boys and waiters were practically winking at me and we received the best treatment at all our hotels. Since my husband had on his wedding ring, they must have assumed I was the mistress having an affair with a married man. Perhaps they thought a man tips better when he's with "the other woman." I'm not sure exactly what it means. Just saying!

So I'm back home and it's back to business. I'm finishing up and revising my second novel, which I'll tell you about next time. Til then...

Thanks for the support

8:02 PM PDT, June 15, 2006

In a couple of recent interviews, I’ve been asked how my family has supported me through my writing career. I love that question! For one thing, I can give my husband, Scott, (we celebrate our 28th anniversary this month) credit for being so supportive over the past 16 years I’ve been writing. Every time an article or story was published in a magazine, or when I received journalism awards, or got my first good review for my novel – he’s told me how proud he was of me. He’s also been there to console me whenever I got the dreaded rejection letter, or when I was dumped by my agent, or the many times I’ve felt discouraged. Writing is definitely a rollercoaster ride and it’s been great to have someone go through the ups and downs with me.

Of course, my children, parents, siblings and friends have also cheered me on and given me support through the years. So thanks to everyone and to my hubby – I LOVE YOU and happy anniversary.

Dreams do come true

8:45 AM PDT, May 19, 2006

A couple of weeks ago I walked into the local Borders store and saw my book up on a shelf. Woo hoo! I could have jumped up and down with excitement, but then I thought that might be just a little uncool, so I restrained myself. Aaaaah, the thrills of being an author.

I recently visited Palm Desert Middle School and wanted to say, what a great bunch of kids! Sometimes we forget that most teens are on their way to becoming wonderful adults. To those of you that came up to tell me that you wanted to become a writer too - may all your dreams come true and I look forward to seeing your book up on a shelf at a bookstore one day.

Selling Yourself

4:14 PM PDT, April 13, 2006

Who knew that promoting a book is a full-time job? As I discovered with the non-fiction book I co-wrote published by McGraw Hill, even if you get a big-time publisher, it's still mostly your responsibility to sell your book. Like a lot of writers, this is the hard part for me, but I'm making myself do it. So on April 22nd at 2:00 I will be speaking at the Palm Springs Book Festival with a book signing afterwards; on June 7th at 6:00 p.m. I have a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Palm Desert; and on July 8th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. I will be teaching a seminar on writing for publication at Mira Costa College in Oceanside. It all seems a bit surreal, but after 15 years of ups and downs as a writer, this definitely feels rewarding.

Writing the Teen Novel

11:56 AM PST, March 17, 2006

When I was a teen-ager, my family and friends would search high and low for my diaries to read them (no, they didn't have any scruples and to this day there's not much guilt about it!). I finally decided if people were going to read about my life, thoughts and feelings, then maybe I should start making a living out of it.

I'm sure some of my friends from high school will recognize parts of themselves in my characters. In fact, some of my friends that have read the book are having fun trying to figure out what's reality and what's fiction. The family in my novel has many similarities to my own (a super-achiever, driven father, a dedicated Mom who got pregnant late in life, siblings all starting with "J", etc) although I'm quick to point out that my brother (younger, not older as in the novel) does not and never had a drinking problem. It's sort of funny because he's the only one in our family that doesn't drink at all. That's where research and fiction comes in.

As with most writers, my main character, Jade, is like me in some ways. I definitely was a perfectionist and list-maker, a people-pleaser like Jade. But I was really awful at math and never, ever wanted to become an engineer like her. And although my sons both play the guitar, I certainly never had any talent or desire to play the instrument. That's the fun part of writing - you can do anything you want with your characters. I only hope you have as much fun reading about them as I did creating them.