Author. Editor. Poet. Mom. Also a total grammar geek and word nerd.
Hello! I’m very grateful to Quy Ma at About Me Stories for inviting me to submit my bio to his terrific publication. As my subhead states above, I’m an author, editor, poet, and mom, and I’m also a total grammar geek and word nerd. I grew up in upstate New York in Syracuse; attended Syracuse University; and have lived in Hartford (CT), Nashville, Dallas, and Denver. My three kids have grown up primarily in Denver, so that’s where my immediate family calls home. My siblings (pictured above sans one brother; I’m the second sister from the right), live all over the U.S., …
A look at two very different geniuses and the words they left behind
In my post “Why I Spent NaNoWrimo Reading and Sharing Rather than Writing,” I mentioned how much I enjoyed posting inspirational quotes for writers on Twitter throughout the month of November. I’ve always loved delving into literary history related not only to where writers come from but what compels them to write and the stories behind their stories. Below I revisit two of the quotes I shared and learn more about their incredibly compelling sources. (Please note this post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a little money if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks!)
Want to Read: Robin by Dave Itzkoff
Genre…
A look at shifting sales paradigms, the impact of COVID, the continued growth of audiobooks, plus more
Please note this post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a little money if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks!
In my post “Traditional Book Publishing Trends Today, in 2020, and Beyond,” I wrote about publishing insider Jane Friedman, author of The Business of Being a Writer and a long-time expert on all things related to the book industry. …
And why your Medium following matters
Many top writers on Medium probably pass the 1,000-followers milestone within months. For me, it’s taken a year. So let’s start with what I don’t do:
- I don’t post multiple times a day or even once a day.
- I don’t publish my own publication.
- I don’t publish a newsletter.
While I know many highly recommend doing the above — and much more — to grow your following, I know my limits. …
And how I turned that into a nifty post for another site
My first year on Medium has been an adventure. None of my Medium posts have gone viral or earned me a lot of money, but I’ve connected with nearly 1,000 other writers, published 60 stories, and had my work featured in 14 different publications. I’ve also become much more active on social media, posting links to my stories on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter every time they’re published and occasionally sharing other writers’ Medium stories that have impressed me.
My increased activity on social media has also led to more followers across the board, a plus as I strive to build my author platform for my books. A couple months ago one of my tweets led the editor of the Women Writers, Women’s Books website to ask me if I’d like to contribute an article. When I asked if she’d be interested in a post about Medium, she responded with an enthusiastic yes. A couple weeks later, my piece, “How Medium.com …
And one of the famous authors who inspired me along the way
Most know National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) as a time when writers set out to craft a draft of a novel within 30 days. While the total word count goal is 50,000 and most novels for adults run over 70,000, the challenge is still very daunting, and I’m always impressed by those who set out to accomplish it.
Since I take years to write my novels, I’ve never signed up for NaNoWriMo. But this year I felt compelled to do something to cheer on those who were participating. Beginning November 1, I began posting a few inspirational quotes each day for writers on Twitter and tagging them with #NaNoWriMo and other writing-related tags. (Please note this post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a little money if you click on a link and make a purchase. …
A look at the ups (and downs) experienced by a few widely promoted novels
This is my final post in a series covering the books I highlighted in “The Certainly Most Definitive List of the 12 Best Novels Due Out in 2020” in January. In that post, I presented a list of just some of the titles predicted to be big sellers everywhere online early in the year. Here I continue to strive to discover which, if any, of the original dozen titles have lived up to their hype. (Please note this post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a little money if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks!)
The Book of V. by Anna Solomon
Genre: Historical…
A look at the ups (and downs) experienced by a few widely promoted novels
This is my third in a series of four posts covering the books I highlighted in “The Certainly Most Definitive List of the 12 Best Novels Due Out in 2020” way back in January, when the internet was overflowing with lists of the titles predicted to be the blockbuster bestsellers of the new year. Join me as I strive to discover which, if any, of the original dozen titles have lived up to their hype. (Please note this post includes affiliate links, and I may earn a little money if you click on a link and make a purchase. Thanks!)
Afterlife by Julia Alvarez
Genre…
One way to repurpose a seasonal story is to see what other writers have written on the same topic. I stumbled across Medium in late December last year, and my first post focused on a very timely holiday icon, Santa Claus. This year I thought I’d see what other writers had written about Santa. While many posts have been written by those who aren’t exactly crazy about Saint Nick, I found four that approached Santa in very unique but generally positive ways. Stand-up comic Ginny Hogan, poet Julia Kantic, astrophysicist Ethan Siegel, and dad Erik Flowers all had written posts I enjoyed reading and highlighting in my post “Thoughts on Santa from Across Medium,” which has been published by Reading Rhombus. Including a link to my original post may also earn it a few new readers. …
4 brilliant writers’ positive takes on the man in the funny red suit
My first Medium post explored the wonder of Santa. In “The Science Behind Santa: Why Children Believe in the Jolly Old Elf” I discussed a study that indicates believing in Santa or another magical being at a young age can be a good thing. I wrote that post fully aware that others disagree strongly with this stance — especially with regard to the man in the red suit. And since then I’ve read a number of Medium posts by writers who assert the whole Santa thing should be debunked and abandoned. …
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