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Writers are, almost without exception, readers. That stands to reason. That doesn't mean we like everything we pick up to read. The story goes that James Fenimore Cooper was reading a novel he considered bad, and he complained aloud to his wife. She said if he didn't like what he was reading, maybe he should write a book himself. Hence, a bunch of novels known as classics (although I had plenty of students who didn't like them.)

There are tons of ways to write a good novel, but for today, I'm...

The book I'm working on is a traditional mystery (no surprise there), and I like the premise: A woman wakes from a coma and learns that her cop husband was killed while she was unconscious. Through a series of scares, she learns that his death was not what it seemed at the time, and she becomes determined to find out the truth. As in every mystery you've ever read, that desire for truth leads to trouble.

I like writing mysteries with unusual protagonists, as you might know if you've read my...

My husband has a gift. I'm not sure what to call it; it's part curiosity, part smarts, and part self-confidence. If that sounds confusing, here's an example.

Our daughter bought a row house in Richmond, Virginia, and of course we motored down to see it. As she showed us the unique setup, rooms set one after another in a space 90' x 20', she mentioned that most of the houses on the block had pocket doors between the front parlor and the second. She was slightly disappointed that hers had a...

A year ago we bought a second home in Florida. The refrigerator works fine, but it was dated and pitted, and we discussed what to do to make it look better. Online I read that people paint their old fridges. That sounded intriguing, but I wanted to talk with someone who might know the pros and cons, so I went to the paint desk to ask.

Me: I'd like your expertise on a matter. Have you heard of painting a refrigerator?

Man: What? Paint what?"

Me: I've read in several places that you can paint a...

I have a complaint about storytelling, or actually, more of a demand: Authors, tell the story!

When I submitted my first book to an agent, she sent back a terse two sentences scrawled in the margin of my cover letter: "Spent too long on background. Get to the story." I did, she took the book on, and eventually, MACBETH'S NIECE was sold to a publisher.

I'm tired of a book starting with a bang that gets me interested and then stopping the action to go back for long scenes that explain the...

After two decades, I'm switching blogs to one by BookBub, which specializes in material about books, for authors and readers. It's kind of exciting, kind of a pain. I don't know a thing about domains and namesources, but I think I figured it out. I love the choices I have, and I've tried to choose what works for people of a certain age. I hate fuzzy fonts on dark colors or pink lettering on a red background.

As I think of things to add, I'll see what I can do. Your job is to let me know what...