Two Hippies and a Soldier
I was going to do a longer list of secondary characters and share some fun stuff about them but then I realized that would give away some things that I’d like to stay a surprise, so here’s a few that I can tell you about without spoiling anything: Suzy Freshman at the University of Wisconsin […]
Anthony and Sam: Fast Facts
You probably know THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS is about two young adults in the late 1960’s named Anthony and Sam. But, you probably don’t know much else. Let me tell you about them: Meet Anthony: Italian- American family Has a younger sister, Maria Played baseball in high school A White Sox fan Has worked […]
Dear Santa
There are bunch of obvious things on my Christmas list this year: an end to the pandemic (I thought we were on our way for a couple weeks back in the summer), for my family to be healthy and happy, and for the chance to welcome THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS into the world in […]
In Praise of Illustrators and Cover Designers
I am not done gushing over the beauty and wonder that is the cover of THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS but I wanted to spend some time with the cover of MAN UP, my debut that released in April, 2020. Again, Erica Weisz from Trism Books designed it. She had asked me for images, themes, […]
THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS Has a Cover!
Isn’t it beautiful? Authors like to geek out about their covers. Allow me to do so now: • The army green: In the original version the words were all in black. The use of army green is awesome. • The notebook paper with the confetti edges: Sam and Anthony can only communicate via letters while […]
Your Writing Community and Why You Need One: an Opinion
After getting a MFA in Fiction Writing (which is another post all together), I didn’t write another word for about two years. You could blame that fact I was a high school English teacher. Big high fives to all the teachers out there writing AND teaching. You could blame it on my newborn daughter who […]
Novel in a Year…or Two, or Three
The first 100 pages (or so) of THE WAR ON ALL FRONTS was written in Story Studio’s Novel in a Year- Young Adult/Middle Cohort which met from January, 2018-November, 2018. Obviously, I didn’t finish the whole book in a year but I got an incredible start, endless encouragement, and a community I will be forever […]
Danielle Steel, I am Not
I read an article a couple years ago that said Danielle Steele sometimes writes for 22 hours a day, not even taking a bathroom break or stopping for snacks. I don’t remember if anything was said about a bedpan under the desk. This method would never work for me. I love snacks too much and […]
Sam and Anthony’s Favorite Songs
Sam and Anthony might love each other but not always one another’s taste in music. If they have some coins burning a hole in their pockets, what songs would they choose to play on the jukebox? Many authors have a playlist that served as background music while writing a book, these are the ones that […]
Solidarity Week 2021
GLSEN (Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network) celebrates Solidarity Week every November. The name was recently changed from Ally Week to Solidarity Week. I know, at times, it seems people get more hung up on words than the cause but the change is a good one. To me, solidarity is implies an action. It is […]