I did an interview recently and one of the questions asked what my background is and whether it influences my writing. My response explained that I come from an Italian immigrant family and that, yes, it does influence my writing. Children of immigrant parents often have to grow up quickly and take on certain responsibilities… Read More Speaking of Representation…
When this blog goes live, I will be in Las Vegas at Clexacon with my Dirt Road crew members, Andi Marquette, Michelle Teichman, and Blythe Rippon. This is my first Clexacon (and Michelle’s and Blythe’s, too), so it will be a whole new experience. When it comes to fangirling and fan conventions, I don’t hold… Read More Vegas, Baby!
Language fascinates me. Since I was a child, I’ve always been interested in learning the origins of the English language and how it’s connected to languages all around the globe. It tickles me to learn where a word or phrase (or product) originated. The origin of anything, for that matter. How rituals and rites began,… Read More Love of Language
Some people need pressure to push them to meet deadlines or complete projects. Others can’t function well under stress—it’s scatters their thoughts and unnerves them to the point where they can’t function or deliver. But even if you thrive under pressure, there’s something to be said about performing with no strain on you. If you… Read More (Not) Under Pressure
In a previous blog, I mentioned my soon-to-be-released novel The Potion. I was reminded of something during the process of producing this book: creating a seamless, engaging, cohesive story line is HARD. You have to think of every scene and every chapter as individual entities, yet as part of an interweaving whole. Every single thing… Read More Season From High Above
I was having a conversation with Jove Belle the other day, and I was telling her that I felt guilty about something. She was reassuring me that I didn’t have to feel guilty about the situation we were discussing, and she said, “Forget for a minute that you’re a good little Catholic girl.” I laughed… Read More To Hell with Good Girls
So, I wrote a novel. A new one. And, as my own publisher, I suppose I should talk about it. The Potion is a story set in Victorian New England, where two widows find themselves working together to figure out the nature of a mysterious formula their husbands worked on together. As they sort through… Read More Have a Cigar
