What did I do at the 2016 Dallas Book Festival? Exactly what everyone else did! I listened to authors speak and then hurried out to the bookstore The Wild Detectives set up in the lobby to buy books and get them signed. I’m not going to tip my hand on what I bought, because some of those books are gifts. I will say…
Read MoreThe Dallas Book Festival is just days away! Join other North Texas book lovers on April 30, in downtown Dallas at the Central Library Look for me at 12:50 in the Community Exchange room on the first floor, appearing on the Keeping Dallas in Suspense panel with writer L.A. Starks. I’ll also have a table on the first floor. Stop by and say hello…
Read MoreWhat makes a reader care about a character? I visited a book club the other night that read Identity, which gave me the opportunity to hear the members’ reactions to the characters. Book clubs are fascinating (and a little terrifying) for authors, but the insight is unbelievably rewarding. One reader spoke movingly about her concern for the protagonist, Sharlah Webb, who finds herself in desperate…
Read MoreSaturday night was the Tables of Content event at Southern Methodist University, where I was one of the “Top 10 Haute Young Authors” featured. I fielded so many interesting questions from the guests at the event — about my books, about my background, about my writing process. I get this question often at readings, and one person asked me Saturday, too: How do…
Read MoreAmazon’s business practices and ongoing dispute with Hachette Publishing have led some readers to take their book-buying bucks to independent bookstores. A couple people have asked me about this, thinking it’s automatically bad news for me because they assume my books must only be available from Amazon. Not true! You can order both Not in Time and Identity paperbacks through the website of Powell’s,…
Read MoreI noticed this morning that Identity had a new review on Amazon, so I clicked over to see what the reader had to say. This was not one of those “Wow, this book is awesome, I must find everything this author has written” kind of reviews. It was two stars — my very first two-star review on Amazon. Some authors freak out over…
Read MoreI can think of plenty of reasons a person might need an actual, physical book rather than an e-book: The pilot hasn’t yet indicated it’s safe to use approved electronic devices. The glare on the beach makes it hard to read your iPad. You’re in your pool chair. You’re soaking in a hot bath. Or maybe you’re one of those people who just…
Read MoreThe UPS driver brought me the proof copy of Identity on Tuesday, and I’ve been busily marking it up this week. (When not working at my day job, which — as some of you know — involves a sports league that starts getting down to business right about now…) I’ve been surprised at the number of people who are VERY excited at the…
Read MoreIn today’s installment of “Ask Amy,” the advice columnist hears from a writer whose novel was a fictionalized version of her own life and now is dealing with fallout from friends who didn’t like the way they were portrayed. Maybe someone took that “write what you know” advice too literally? I wouldn’t want to write a fictionalized version of my life. Boring. And…
Read MoreAnother blogger has weighed in with a review of Identity, and it’s another rave. Sherry Fundin, on her blog Fundinmental, says: “This book is full of betrayal, love, sacrifice and self centered cruelty. It has every element for a successful and amazing novel. Great story and writing. I love and hate the characters and it has a mega hit ending.” But don’t just…
Read More