Happy New Year! By the time you read this, it will most likely be 2012. How could another year have passed so quickly? I don’t know. All I know is that 2011 went by like lightning. Like most writers, I am a person of deep reflection (mostly when it concerns the lives of my characters,  Read more »

So roughly half of the coastal US is under a hurricane watch or warning right now (except, strangely, the parts of the US that are used to it, such as Florida, which is where I am right now). Having been through numerous hurricanes since I moved here in 2004, I feel qualified to give some  Read more »

Right now we’re in what is commonly referred to as the Dog Days of Summer. I used to think people called this time of year “the dog days” because it’s so hot, even dogs don’t want to move from their nice comfy spot in the shade. But it’s actually because historically, August was when Sirius,  Read more »

Thank you, Golden Globes. We needed that. Just out of curiosity, have you spent the past twenty-four/thirty-six hours asking yourself the same question I have been asking myself?

I had this whole big post written out for today to let you know that we’re discussing The Mediator Books One and Two (Shadowland and The Ninth Key) on the Meg Cabot Book Club this month, and that you BETTER stop by here to join the discussion with me because I’m going to be all  Read more »

As some of you may know, certain theologians argue that at some point in the future there is going to be either a big party (known as the Rapture) . . . . . . or those of us who have been naughty are going to be in bit trouble (which will be called the  Read more »

I just saw True Grit starring Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges and Josh Brolin. It was fantastic. But it made me realize how lacking I am in grit. Could you, like Mattie Ross (played by the amazing 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld, the true star of the movie), endure hangings, gunfights, stabbings, having to sleep next to  Read more »

Sure, 2010 had its downsides: the horrible economy, the earthquake in Haiti, the BP oil spill, just to name a few. The weather certainly could have been better. And what was with all those bedbugs? But in what other year has something touched all of us as deeply as the miraculous rescue of those Chileans  Read more »

I went to see Tangled this weekend! It was really fun, but of course with the holidays and everything, it got me reflecting on “the princess thing.” Now that I have nieces and a lot of friends who have daughters, I’m always hearing about “the princess thing” from someone. “Please don’t get my daughter any  Read more »

If you’re like me, you probably spent the holiday weekend eating, shopping, and watching movies. I have to send most of what I bought back because of course I bought it online and it’s way too small (this probably would not be the case if I hadn’t also bought ten boxes of peppermint bark from  Read more »