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Author Rachael Herron Talks about Being a Terrible Teen, Love and the...
One of my favorite things about being a writer is having the chance to meet other writers whose books I admire. I probably admire few books as much as I do Splinters of Light, my new friend Rachael...
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Finally, I Can Raise Sheep—Sort Of
I didn’t always love sheep. When I was growing up, my mother kept a small flock in a field next to our house, and our sheep did not exactly stand out as intelligent, or even interesting. When the...
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How You Can Create Your Own Lucky Breaks as a Writer
I was walking with my kids on the beach when my father-in-law leaned over the balcony to shout, “Your agent’s on the phone! He has a book deal!” Was that my lucky break as a novelist? Not exactly....
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One Writer’s Homage to Booksellers, Librarians & Readers
I’m not sure there’s enough wine in the world to launch a new novel without the jitters. Luckily, writers have lots of people cheering us on. I’m not only talking about our mothers and spouses, but...
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Writing is a Risky Business. How Do You Conquer Your Fears?
The year I turned thirty, I nearly died trekking over a mountain pass in Nepal. This was the same 17,769-foot pass through the Annapurna Circuit where, in October 2014, an unexpected snowstorm took...
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How One Novelist Was Dragged Out of Her Barn to Embrace Social Media
Like most writers, I spend hours alone and doodling on my laptop, even on Saturday nights. Until recently, I had zero interest in fist-bumping people on social media, preferring to spend my time on...
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4 Lessons about Planting a Novel that I Learned by Revising a Garden
Even the doctor was shocked when she saw me last week. “You poor thing!” she said, shaking her head. That’s not what you want your doctor to say to you under any circumstances, but she had a good...
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Don’t Sweat Your Synopsis. Just Write It! 8 Easy Tips
Whether you’re an aspiring writer pitching a book idea to agents, or a seasoned author whose editor expects a synopsis for each new novel, creating a synopsis can feel like the worst writing you’ve...
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Why It’s Harder to Write the Next Book than Your Last—And How to Keep Writing...
I published my newest novel, Haven Lake, in April, and I have another book scheduled for publication in October. Yesterday, I started a new manuscript—my fifth book under contract with NAL/Penguin...
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Suffering Doubts about Your Writing? 4 Time-Tested Tips to Help You Through a...
As I raced through the grocery store last Saturday, I ran into another writer, someone I’ve seen at occasional parties. “Wow,” she said. “I see you already have another book out. Good for you!” Yes,...
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Discovering Prince Edward Island: Anne’s Land, a Fiddle Festival, and Four...
I received the advance copies of Chance Harbor, my new novel yesterday. The publisher’s box arrived at the perfect time: tomorrow I’m going to Prince Edward Island, where much of the book is set. All...
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Discovering Prince Edward Island and a Sister-Writer
After making my first foray to Prince Edward Island with my friend Emily and our four children over twenty years ago, I returned to Massachusetts and vowed to return every year. I made good on that...
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Discovering Prince Edward Island, My Magic Sweater, and the Woman Who Made It
Before buying a house on Prince Edward Island, my husband and I rented places all over the island. Whether we were staying in Tignish or Fortune, Rustico Bay or Souris, though, we always spent...
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How to Love the One You’re With (Even If It’s a Manuscript): Four Tips that...
For many writers, word count is everything. Me, not so much. At the start of every manuscript, I might write 2,000 words one day, only to decide that 1800 of those words should be trashed the very next...
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Discovering Prince Edward Island and Buying a House at the End of the World
A few years after first discovering Prince Edward Island as a single mom with two young children, I invited my second husband, Dan, to see the island for the first time. I was beyond nervous. What...
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Celebrating a 20th Wedding Anniversary and a New Book: What Marriage Has...
This week is a big one for me. I’m celebrating both the launch of Chance Harbor, my fourth novel with Penguin Random House, and my twentieth wedding anniversary with Dan. As I pop the champagne, it’s a...
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Author Amy Sue Nathan Dishes on Writing, Social Media Savvy and Why Books Are...
Like many writers, I was first introduced to Amy Sue Nathan through her wonderful site, Women’s Fiction Writers, which has become one of those essential go-to sites for writers seeking out...
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The 5 Worst Things a Writer Can Say
This past week, I launched my fifth novel, Chance Harbor, provoking a friend to exclaim, “Wow, you’re popping out books like Tic Tacs, aren’t you?” She has a point. Six years ago, I hadn’t even...
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What Happened When My Characters Hijacked My Novel
I write emotional family mysteries, the sort of fiction where the characters suffer through freakin’ horrible crises: abandoned children, missing parents, wandering husbands, suicidal wives, etc....
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Who’s Telling the Story? A Crash Course on Points of View
I’ve been writing fiction for many years now. Each book poses new stumbling blocks. Inevitably, though, the question that always plagues me at the start is this one: Whose story is it, anyway? This...
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