Three-hour critique group, four hours writing at my coffee place. This was not an attempt to avoid cleaning my house. I would have avoided it anyway.

*Pretend you care. It will increase my sense of self worth

The Lithuanian  ambassador Vygaudas Ušackas.** His driver helped. He was very nice, but not famous.

*Actually, there’s only been one. It’s a very short street.

**He also gave us some excellent tea and an odd brandy whose name I forget

The two attractive young people a few tables away from me in my writing place are clearly on a blind date. They are also having a loud discussion about getting toilet paper stuck to the bottom of their shoes. Romance is in the air!

Someone contacted me today and asked if I’d like to form a critique group. I said ‘yes.’ That makes three. I figure that’s one more day a month I have an excuse not to organize my office.

Our pianist has been trying to get us to perform at her church since the Middle Ages.*

She wept afterwards.** This would be a first, for us, as our show could be accurately described as, “Not King Lear.”

*Refers to me, as opposed to an historical period.

**With joy, or possibly relief.

I find croissants more inspiring than bagels when I write, but they get more crumbs on my computer.

How much time a day/week do you get to write? When is the best time for you to write (morning or night)?

You can find me bent over my laptop, sipping a latte, and eating a cookie at my favorite coffee place for three hours nearly every afternoon. This is old news to my blog readers who are seriously tired of reading my latte-centric posts.

Did you go to college for writing?

No. I went for a practical degree. BFA Music Voice Performance

What bothers you more: spelling errors, punctuation errors or grammar errors?

I ain’t conserned about that stuff?

What is the best writing advice that anyone has given you?

Write —given to me by a Pulitzer Prize winner.*

What advice would you give to another writer?

See above

*Absolutely true

 

 

What’s the name of your favourite* character and why?

I’m shamelessly in love with Dani Rosen, protagonist of my YA mystery Dread & Breakfast, now in final edit stage. Dani is a street smart, wiseass, Brooklyn Jewish girl with an ongoing inner monologue that’s usually funny and sometimes (understatement) inappropriate. Sample conversation.

Nick throws me a look and shifts into creep mode again.

“So, Dani, tell us something about yourself.”

Yes, I use birth control, I’m legal, and I’m a 34D. If you make any attempt to verify that, I will cut your balls off.

     “Oh, not much to tell. I live in Sherier, Maryland. I’m a senior at Sherier High. My goal in life is to be the next Meryl Streep, and my first choice school is NYU. I’m desperate to get back to New York.”

*First clue that I didn’t write these questions. It was some nice British person.

What was your first piece that you can remember writing? What was it about?

Pathetic poem about a forest and a stream. Published by Horn Book.

Alas, I now have the first two lines stuck in my head. Thanks a lot.

What’s the best part about writing?

I love writing! I love revising! I love critique groups! I love having an excuse to drink lattes and eat cookies in the afternoon. But mostly what I love is that once you write something, it will still exist whether or not anybody reads it or publishes it.

What’s the worst part about writing?

It’s a business. Show me the writer who loves writing queries and I’ll show you…it doesn’t matter what I’ll show you, you won’t find one*

*If you do would you get me their contact info? They may write mine. Seriously

When did you start working on this project?

Ok, oldest, 3 years ago, newest (my very, very favorite) 6 months. Guess which one is pretty much done? If you said the newest, you’d be right. It’s not because I’m drinking more coffee. It’s because I’ve learned how to write*

*Until you’ve read novel #4, you’re not allowed to disparage it. After you’ve read it, you’re not allowed either. It will hurt my feelings. Not really. Well, maybe a little.