One Writer Mom. One Teen Kid. One Brilliant Australian Shepherd. One Comical Border Collie Mix. One Dog in a Maine Coon Cat's Body. And Latest to the Party — One Cuddly Cavalier.
Posted in .Cait and Me, .My Dogs and Me, Finnegan the Coon Cat, Life, On Writing on Apr 24th, 2010
Back a few years ago, I had another book coming out and it’s expected of all writers to do all they can to promote their writing — including blogging. So I started this blog about my dogs and my daughter. It’s mostly been a labor of love. But it’s also been time-consuming. And with other [...]
Posted in On Writing on Nov 15th, 2009
From the Mailbag: Martha writes, I found your blog after reading Dogs of Dreamtime (loved Loved LOVED it!) and have been a reader ever since (thought not a very good commenter, sorry). I’m taking a writing course now and realize how hard it is to sit down and write everyday. How do you make yourself [...]
Posted in On Writing on Sep 13th, 2009
I’ve been writing since I was eleven years old, when I wrote my first book. I first started writing in my father’s old Air Force writing kit. I’d just replace the notebooks after I’d filled them. When I’d finish writing a story long-hand, I’d type up the final version. (I was probably the only eleven-year-old [...]
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, Life, On Writing on Apr 19th, 2009
I have the honor of guest blogging over at Paw-Talk today. If you’d like to take a peek at a typical day around here, head on over to get the scoop. Even if you feel you already know quite enough about our gang, if you love animals, you’ll be in for a treat if you [...]
Posted in Dogs in General, On Writing on Apr 9th, 2009
As I continue to collect amazing stories about dogs showing their smarts, I’d like to share the occasional one with you. I’ve selected this story because it speaks volumes on so many levels. See if you agree. ~This story came to me from Margo Seamus in Washington The Ground Beneath Her Feet I have two [...]
Posted in On Writing on Mar 15th, 2009
I am often asked for help on how to go about submitting a book to publishers. In an attempt to simplify the process of passing along useful information, following is a crash course on how and to whom you should submit your manuscript. Consider it a nitty-gritty action plan. First things first, submitting your work [...]
Posted in On Writing on Feb 20th, 2009
Anyone who’s visited my blog over the past few days has been greeted with a big, bold “404 Not Found” message. The equivalent of the blue screen of death for a blogger. In case you’re wondering what happened, my site got hacked. I had a couple of days where it looked like I’d lost the [...]
Posted in On Writing, The Mail Bag on Jan 25th, 2009
From the Mailbag: Emma writes: I don’t get it. I read lots of blogs from the “famous” Dooce (who’s a little too, I dunno, b*tchy for my tastes), and now Pioneer Woman (who seems like a lightweight one-trick pony/cow), to obscure blogs on personal subjects that interest me. And I gotta tell ya, I think [...]
Posted in On Writing, The Mail Bag on Nov 16th, 2008
From the mailbag: Cheryl writes: I just started a blog four months ago and at first had all kinds of things I wanted to write about. Then I started putting too much pressure on myself to come up with something brilliant everyday and I quickly got writer’s block. Then I got obsessed with checking my [...]
Posted in On Writing on Aug 9th, 2008
Last night, Cait came running into the kitchen, screaming. Heart pounding, I raced in from outside to see what was wrong. She’d just hung up with one of her best friends, who’d called to say that she’d just received an offer from a publishing house to publish her first children’s story. This friend of Cait’s [...]
Posted in On Writing, The Mail Bag on Jun 29th, 2008
From the mailbag: Hannah writes: I’ve been writing a novel and have been stuck for weeks. That’s my pattern: I write a little, get stuck, have a breakthrough, write again, etc. It often feels like torture. I’m wondering if you also have this problem and if you’ve found a way to overcome it. I’ve read [...]
Posted in .My Dogs and Me, On Writing on May 23rd, 2008
I haven’t needed an alarm clock for years now, because I have two furry ones. Today, it’s 4:10 AM, a little early even for me. Graidy usually has the decency to wait until about 5:00 AM before rousing me out of bed. (Another quality people should be aware of when getting high energy/herding dogs is [...]
Posted in On Writing on Mar 7th, 2008
That’s me these days. The faster I try to catch up, the hurried-er I fall behind. Too many projects and not enough clocks running two days slow. So, it’s getting to be that time again… Time for another intermission. In the meantime, what was it that sign said on the doorknob? Ah, yes… “Doorknob: Read [...]
Posted in On Writing, The Mail Bag on Dec 13th, 2007
From the mailbag: Sue writes: Is it necessary to have an agent to sell a book? I’m having trouble finding one to take me on, so I was wondering if I could just try to sell my novel by myself? What do you think of self-publishing? Dear Sue, there aren’t many publishing houses that accept [...]
Posted in Life, On Writing on Nov 12th, 2007
…some fresh air. I can only take so much of being cooped up inside. Didn’t matter that it was only 41 degrees out. I needed some sunlight and fresh air. Not only was I toasty warm with my dogs playing around me, but I finished my proposal too. YAHOO!!! There’s gonna be some celebrating tonight!
