I love maps. Even though we have Google navigation, when we’re traveling away from home, I like having a physical map with the route highlighted in yellow to help visualize the journey before me. Marking the interconnecting ribbons of highways gives me a big picture perspective. The same is true when you’re writing your book. In my current novel, I …

One of the pleasures of being a writing conference director for twelve years (yes, twelve!) was encouraging fellow writers to answer the call to write—those initial stirrings that may have come many years before—while the writer waited for the right time.  Perhaps for children to get to a certain age, or maybe the courage to risk stepping out. One wise …

Remember the joy of receiving an envelope with familiar handwriting? We’ve all become comfortable sending off a quick text or email, but it’s not the same. I grew up when everyone wrote letters to share news, express love, friendship, recipes, congratulations, thanks, and condolences. The first time I moved away from my family to live in New York, a page …