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Random Musings

Notes from Door County, Wisconsin


Visiting Door County to research for my next novel. My daughter and I are staying in Jacksonport on the shore of Lake Michigan. The lake was wild last night and today, waves pounding on the shore. Thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, rain came in hard bursts, then sunshine so bright it ached with color.

Today, after the storm, the lake calmed. We took a walk along the shore at sunset. White gulls of some sort wheeled across the sky and floated on the calm water.

My novel takes place right here during the summer of 1944. It opens in May, when cherry orchards are in bloom. The cherries aren’t yet in bloom this year because of the cold weather. Drat! But I do have lots to learn about the lake and the weather and the people and the place and the history, and I’ve lined up interviews and visits to do just that. Read More 
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Finishing That Novel


After living with my JAZZ DANCING characters for two years, it was hard to let go. I could fiddle forever, changing words, sentences, rearranging paragraphs. Writing is subjective; there is no such thing as perfect. You can always make it better… or worse!

I’m in a fabulous writing group of four novelists, but because each of us shares only one of our chapters every two weeks, we don’t always have a true sense of the whole. We look to  Read More 
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Lessons Learned from Writing Workshop


Just returned from an inspiring weekend at the sixth annual Gold Rush Writers Conference: www.goldrushwriters.com.

As co-founder and faculty member, I am continually impressed with the quality of participants. We limit participants to 50 creative writers so we can offer an intimate, workshop environment focused on the craft of writing.  Read More 
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