I’ve read a couple of really good books recently and highly recommend A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner and Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes. A Fall of Marigolds has an interesting historical timeline and focuses on two American tragedies. I loved the camaraderie and women-against-the-odds aspect of Someone Else’s Shoes. Both have well-developed and intriguing characters. Happy reading! Do you have recommendations for us?

I spent several days last week glued to my computer in Zoom and other video sessions, just like in the pandemic days. But this time, it was for the Historical Novel Society North America conference. The conference was live in San Antonio, but I wasn’t able to leave home, so I only attended virtually. Still, for a writer of historical novels, it was wonderful to be with my tribe. Writers need community, because writing can be very lonely at times.

One of my favorite summer activities is reading—preferably beating the heat near a pool or beach with a bar and waiter attending my cold beverage needs! I’ve found that my Kindle is great outdoors. The lighted screen is easy to read and it doesn’t add too much weight to my beach bag. I’ve read several books recently and enjoyed most of them. A few I’d recommend for your summer list: Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (winner of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize), and Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Some that I’ve got

Continue Reading Reading Poolside Beats the Heat

My friend Kathy traveled to Amsterdam recently and posted about it on Facebook. When I commented that I hoped she enjoyed the trip and that I love Amsterdam, she responded, “I brought a good book with me” . . . and posted a photo of herself holding my novel Safe Thus Far. I was honored she felt my book was worth the weight to pack on an overseas trip. That’s the type of fan every author wants!

One of my favorite books by Terry Pratchett is Mort, part of his Discworld series. It’s the story of an awkward young man who becomes Death’s apprentice and finds a way to mess up the course of history by intervening, which he is not supposed to do. Of course, now he has to try to fix it by intervening even more, which only makes matters worse. The absurdity of it all is hilarious.