Author Archive

The Process and The Team

Posted on November 26, 2012

Hi Everyone,

As some of you know, from reading my Blogs on a variety of subjects, I’ve reacted with amazement, shock, and outrage when people have asked me in my fan mail, who writes my books.  WHO writes my BOOKS??? Are you kidding? Who do you think writes my books, as I hover over my typewriter for weeks at a time, working on a first draft, with unbrushed hair, in an ancient nightgown, with every inch of my body aching after typing 20 or 22 hours a day at a stretch. That’s who writes my books: Me. and in recent years, I’ve discovered from my agent and publisher that it has become common practice for some very well-known successful authors to write the outline for a book, and hand it over to a team of writers to write the book. Holy Sh–!!! How do they do that?? Both the author and the elves. I have a fit when a copy editor fiddles with a word, or moves a comma. I WRITE EVERY WORD of the books myself. And believe me, by the end of the book, I look it, and am pretty beaten up and look like I’ve been through the wars, it’s hard work!!!. But bleeding fingers (for real!), aching hands (I popped a vein in my hand on my last book, which has happened before), » read more »

Filed Under Writing | 56 Comments

Giving Thanks

Posted on November 19, 2012

I like the idea of a holiday based on giving thanks and gratitude. There is something so healing and loving about it, a holiday where we don’t focus on ourselves and moan about how old we’re getting, or get presents, but a holiday where we reach out to others, to include them. We all have that Norman Rockwell vision of Thanksgiving, with a golden turkey on the table, and smiling family gathered around the table, and we also know that holidays don’t always work out that way, and can be fraught with stress, strife or disappointment or bitterly lonely for some. (Even the turkey can be challenging. One year, we dropped the turkey off the platter and it slid across the floor, to everyone’s horror. We took it out to the kitchen, dusted it off, reappeared trying to look ‘normal’ about it, and it was delicious anyway. Another year, my cleaning person at the time decided that the turkey was in the way in the refrigerator and put it in the freezer without telling me, and when I went downstairs at six in the morning to start cooking it, it was frozen solid, like a boulder, and I had to run around buying enough chickens to feed my family. We skipped the turkey that year. So from a culinary standpoint, we’ve had our comic moments around Thanksgiving). » read more »

In the Wake of Sandy

Posted on November 12, 2012

As happens with major disasters which we read about, the media turn the page. They move on to other stories, other catastrophes or points of interest. We cry over injured children in photos of war zones, or after an explosion, see women mourning their dead, or injured soldiers. We read about earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, which take over our lives briefly, and then something else comes along, and the media forces us to focus on something else. But the people in the affected areas, and victims of those catastrophes are living with the fallout of the disaster for years. I feel that way about Hurricane Sandy now. As I mentioned before, it hit close to home for us, when one of my daughters lost her home and everything she owns, so I have a front row seat on the tragedies Sandy left in her wake, not just for us, but for so many. Lives lost, homes destroyed, whole neighborhoods impacted, and that won’t recover for a long, long time. For us, the disaster is still our main and only focus, and how to comfort my daughter from her tragic loss. But thank God she is alive!!! Others weren’t as lucky. » read more »

Filed Under Current Events | 8 Comments

Stand Up!!

Posted on November 9, 2012

Hi Everyone,

My son described an amazing moment to me recently, and introduced me to a new organization that I had not previously heard of. But I want to find out lots more about them now. I’m already impressed by what I know.

At the first night of the World Series, on the way in, before the game, everyone was handed a sign (I think it looked like a paddle) as they came in. The organization that provided it was called ‘Stand Up To Cancer”, and there was a space where you could write in the name of someone you know who has been affected by the disease.  And the plan was for all the people who had someone’s name to write in, to hold up their signs at the end of the fifth inning—-both fans and players alike.  » read more »

Filed Under Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Sandy

Posted on November 1, 2012

Hello Everyone,

I write to you in sorrow over the shocking catastrophe that has struck the Eastern states of the US, in the face of what is now called the greatest natural disaster in US History. It has taken me some days to catch my breath and even know what to say. We are all so horrified, and grief stricken for the people who lost homes, belongings, all their worldly possessions, or worse, loved ones. Natural disasters are more terrifying than anything man can create. Fires, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, anyone who has experienced them has a profound respect for the force of nature. » read more »

Filed Under Current Events | 11 Comments

San Francisco Giants!!!

Posted on October 29, 2012

Hi Everyone,

I just had to say how thrilled I am that The Giants won The World Series! They are an incredible team. Congratulations Giants!!! WAY TO GO!!!!!

Love,

Danielle

Filed Under Current Events | 2 Comments

BOO!!!!!

Posted on October 29, 2012

Ah YESSS!!! Here comes one of my favorite holidays: Halloween. It’s such a great holiday, dedicated to fun, the acquisition of industrial quantities of candy (even if you are too old to trick or treat, you can stand there with an enormous bowl of it, to hand it out, and eat half of it yourself….just checking it out!!!). Kids get to wear silly costumes, so do adults, the whole thing has always seemed like so much fun to me. And as I’ve told you, we’ve had some memorable costumes in the family. One of my favorites was my oldest daughter’s orange dyed face (she was a pumpkin that year), which wouldn’t wash off for 2 weeks (and she had to explain at work, since she was in her 20’s by then). » read more »

Filed Under Holidays, Kids, Paris | 1 Comment

Play Ball!!!

Posted on October 23, 2012

Hi Everyone!! WOW!!!

As I wrote in a recent blog, I was lucky enough to go to the first game of the baseball playoffs with my youngest son, and I had a terrific time!! Immediately after, I came back to Paris and kept track of how they were doing in each subsequent game, thrilled as the tension mounted, and they won the games they needed to, to head for the World Series. For the first games of the playoffs, I was satisfied to get the results from a friend the next day. » read more »

Filed Under Current Events | 4 Comments

Busy San Francisco Weekend

Posted on October 22, 2012

Wow!!! What a crazy weekend. It seems like everything went on in San Francisco a couple weekends ago. I’m not sure if the city planned it on purpose or if it just happened that way.

In one single weekend, the America’s Cup races (pre trials, I think, or maybe just for demonstration before the real deal next August) took place on the bay. So sailing fans were riveted to the excitement on the bay, as some of the America’s Cup boats raced each other during the weekend. » read more »

Filed Under Current Events | 4 Comments

So Much Fun!!!

Posted on October 15, 2012

I had so much fun the other night, I had to share it with you.  My youngest son is an avid sports fan (especially baseball and football), and very kindly invited me to a Playoffs game between the SF Giants and the Cincinnati Reds. And I was thrilled to go. I haven’t been to a baseball game since his next oldest brother used to take me to games in his teens. So it was a big deal to me to be invited to the first Playoff game by my son (we’ve never been to a baseball game together before), and I was very touched to be asked.  I got a stern admonition before the game to wear black and orange, definitely NOT red (good thing he warned me!!), and I figured I’d look a little Halloween, but what the hell. With an invitation like that, I was going to do what I was told, and I did. I dug out two orange sweaters because I figured it would be cold, a bright orange wool scarf, black pants and a warm black coat (SF can get windy, foggy, and bitter cold at night, even in the summer, and it wasn’t freezing but it did get chilly).    » read more »

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