No Shat, Sherlock
No posts for months, then two in two days? Honestly, I was thinking about dumping the blog, but I got encouragement to continue and to start posting again. This weekend, I will be at Copperfield’s Book Fair in Houston. For the first time, it’s going to be a two-day event. It’s April 5th and 6th from 10…Read More
Hey, Spark Won an Award!
I was talking to an editor a while back, and they suggested I enter Spark in a few contests. I gave it a shot and entered Spark into the Literary Titan contest. It won. Now I have some cool stickers to put on the cover and can brag that I am “an award-winning author.” Progress…Read More
Two Beginnings and an End
Okay, let’s start with the good stuff, but know that the sad part is coming. Spark and Fire are now live on Audible! Woo Hoo! They should also be appearing on Amazon and iTunes, so have a listen. Here’s what’s really cool: I have 50 promo codes to give away. They should allow you to…Read More
Author Indie Book Fair Tomorrow!
I’ll be appearing at this event tomorrow, October 12. If you’re in the Houston/Katy area, stop by to say hi. It runs from 10 until 6. I’ll have books on hand and will be happy to sign any that you bring. See you there.
Smart son. Good father.
A couple weeks ago, I was in Baltimore. I had to do my final reviews of the audio version of Spark. Whenever I had a few minutes, I’d pull out my laptop, slap on my headphones and listen to a chapter. I had the book in my lap so that I could compare the narration…Read More
Luna’s Last Lap
Luna came into our life as a rescue back in 2010. She’d been at the SPCA for 13 months and was close to a year-and-a-half old. Most people, it seems, were scared off by her size and her somewhat fierce looks. Her size was no joke. She generally weighed around 95 pounds. The ferocity was…Read More
They’re at it Again
My fans @NYTgames have slipped my work into theirs once again, just a couple of days after Feral made her appearance. This time they’re tipping their editorial cap to the first novel in the series, Spark. The title appeared as the leadoff answer in their Mini Puzzle. In other news, I just got the final…Read More
Fans at the New York Times
In 2021, Feral Daughter, aka ShaChri Patel, made her first appearance as the heroine of the Spark Chronicles novels. Today, as I’m working to finish up the series, I’m getting shown a little love by the New York Times – at least the fans creating and editing their games. Yesterday, if you play Wordle, you…Read More
Book Review: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Murder your darlings. It’s a phrase in publishing that’s often associated with a similar phrase: Torment your darlings. The first, allegedly, means that you can’t afford to fall too much in love with your own prose. It can be the best thing you’ve ever written, but if it’s not relevant to the scene or doesn’t…Read More
When Ducks Attack
It was a muggy morning; the buzz of cicadas filled the air. I’d taken care of the dogs and was heading out for some exercise of my own. As I turned the first corner, I saw motion ahead. One of our local waterfowl had achieved target lock and was waddling toward me on an intercept…Read More