Brandi Megan Granett In 1999, several factors conspired that caused me to walk away from writing for a very long time: my first novel was accepted for publication, my darling daughter was born, and the publishing industry imploded.  Combining the demands of new motherhood with diminishing ability to sell books and zero support from my […]

I love fortune cookies. From cracking them open, to pulling out the slip of paper, to reading the fortune, to eating the sweet crunchy thing—I love everything about them. I always smile when I find saved fortunes (a recent "found" cache led to this post) whenever I go through an old purse or drawers in my […]

Years ago, an instructor at the UCI Writing Project taught me how to identify the "golden lines" in a lesson, article, or book. Golden lines are the phrases, the ideas, the "takeaway" from whatever you're learning in life. Since then, after I attend a class or workshop, I review my notes and handouts, marking the golden lines. With […]

Kelly Harms “But Kelly, why did you wait three years between books?” Three. Long. Years. That’s how long I went between publishing my first book, THE GOOD LUCK GIRLS OF SHIPWRECK LANE, and the one coming out now, THE MATCHMAKERS OF MINNOW BAY. Not because my publisher jerked me around—they’ve been wonderful. Not because of […]

Christina Delay You’ve heard about it. You’ve been in it. You may have even gotten lost in it. The writing cave. The mystical hole we decorate with junk food and tea and bury ourselves in to meet deadlines. It’s comfortable. We have our favorite, overstuffed chair and a wash-worn blanket we cuddle in. A candle […]