When I was pregnant, it never occurred to me not to give birth to my child at home. Not for a moment. I never wavered or wondered if I was making the right decision, nor was I at all anxious. When a friend remarked how brave I was, my response was that I thought it would be a lot braver to give birth in a hospital! I knew all the statistics about hospital births – especially with regard to over-medication and C-sections. And don’t let me get started on germs! No, thanks, we’d be much better off at home. […]

In the most recent issue of the Authors Guild Bulletin, there’s a transcript of a symposium on the future of publishing, with a panel of Publisher, Agent, Author. The comments were fairly predictable: the Publisher was interested in how to make money; the Agent was interested in how to ensure the Author got some of the money so the Agent would make money; and the Author (Susan Cheever) was interested in the question of how the new ways of Publishing will actually change the way writers write because it is clearly changing how readers read. […]

Brakes squeal; the train lumbers to a slow, and then a stop. I emerge as though from a daze of buttercups and leafy maples into a thick rush of people on the platform, and then am pushed and jostled up the stairs to the main concourse of Grand Central Station. Here is the starry dome Read more about Tweet-up In New York[…]

A while back, when Heaven Falls was fresh on the shelves, my friend and mentor advised me to set my sights on a goal that I knew I could accomplish in the next phase of being a published author. Not making a million dollars, not a NYT book review, but something attainable. He said that is how he made his fortune in business: by setting and attaining practical goals, one at a time.

When I asked him for an example, he said, “How about five 5-Star reviews for “Heaven Falls” on Amazon.”

Yesterday I attained this goal! Now I need to the next one! Suggestions?

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WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers

Scientists have discovered something new! Sitting is deadly. Spending most of your days with most of your weight resting on your delicate lower spine is dangerous, even if you regularly exercise.

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WriteSpa – An Oasis for Writers

One spring when I was sixteen, my friend Carol visited me where I lived in Sussex. We took many long walks through Ashdown Forest or into the village of Forest Row. Both of us being philosophical in nature, we spent a lot of our time talking about the purpose of life and other fun things like that. Since it was springtime, we talked about why April was considered “the cruelest month,” and why more suicides occur in spring than at any other time of the year, and how it was that beauty and sadness seem almost synonymous in Keats’ Ode on Melancholy. We also noticed that the most startling quality of spring, especially in areas of severe winter, is the surprising color that constantly amazes. Just a single purple crocus or a few waving daffodils can take your breath away.

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Heaven Falls Book Review

By Melanie Vatour

An excerpt:
“The suspense was great. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going on and why the family was acting strange. I found myself saying “just one more chapter” but ended up reading for hours. You definitely need to start this book when you actually have time to read because you won’t be able to put it down. I could never have guessed how the story was going to unfold. I was truly left surprised.

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Will you be in the Berkshires on May 4?  I’ll be featured at Deb Koffman’s IWOW (InWordsOutWords) on Tuesday, May 4. This is a wonderful monthly event of open mic poetry, song, performance, story-telling –  elegantly and humorously hosted by Bill Shein. Come and share your own written, performing, artistic, or musical endeavors! Deb creates Read more about On May 4 I’ll be at IWOW – Will YOU?[…]

New Book Review from Heloise Riddell’s blog: The Land of Make-Believe – Let the Story Begin… Here’s an excerpt: “This wonderful book is a rollercoaster of romance and intrigue, where both heartbreak and danger lurk behind every twist and turn of the story. Written by a wonderful and talented writer, and friend, HEAVEN FALLS is Read more about Book Review from Heloise Riddell[…]

WebbWeavers – fabulous reviewers of books and movies – are having a contest on Twitter! If you’d like to win a signed copy of my newest novel Heaven Falls all you have to do is go to their site, scroll down the page till you see the ‘Followers’ section on the right, click on ‘Follow’ Read more about Book Giveaway Contest at WebbWeaver[…]