I spent New Year’s Eve day on the Pacific Coast Starlight train from Santa Cruz to Los Angeles after a weeklong getaway at my friend, Sue Crosby’s house in the Monterrey Hills. Sue and I had a great time walking the beach, wine tasting, shopping the Santa Cruz bookstore, and…
Summer is always, in our minds, a more relaxing time of year. If we are lucky to be on vacation we have the leisure time to pick up that book we’ve been wanting to read. Summer must-read lists are everywhere, tantalizing us with the latest new stories. As a writer, most…
Whether we are parents watching our children grow up, children watching our parents grow older, or seeing our own selves enter a new stage in our lives, we know that time is our ultimate resource. A constant in our lives, time can be friend, foe, companion or adversary and many…
It’s spring in LA and that means it’s time for my favorite event of the year. Put on your shorts, sandals and sunscreen and join me for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books! When: April 9 and 10 Where: USC campus. Make it a day because it’s not just about…
Esperar… Spanish for “to wait” encompasses much more than that. Depending on context, three English verbs can be found within this one Spanish word. Yo espero. I wait. I hope. I expect. I have a lot of experience with Esperar. I teach and wait for the seeds of learning to sprout in my…
Just last week I received news from Kirkus that my novel had been reviewed. I was excited but also nervous. I’d waited months and suddenly I didn’t know if I was ready to read it. What would an industry insider, like the reviewer at Kirkus, have to say about The…
Coming in 2016… the next book in the ART COLLECTION SERIES ATOMS OF MEMORY Introducing … Sogni by Vittorio Corcos,1896 in the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna, Rome Karina A seamstress caught in the political and social upheaval of 1890s Italy Senna A modern-day art student mysteriously bound to Sogni and Karina’s…
What do wine, chocolate and aspen leaves have in common? You guessed it! These are some of my favorite things. And I’m going to share them as prizes in my spring giveaway. If you’ve read The Three Graces, you know they also come from the settings in the novel. Still puzzled? Aspen…
Bring the whole family and join me for a fun-filled celebration of books, music, food, culture, and art! When: Saturday, April 18, 2015 Where: The beautiful USC campus From 12-2 p.m., I’ll be at the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society booth (953). From 3-5 p.m., I’ll be at the Independent…
Hi everyone! On January 22nd I will be doing a reading at a local readers and authors’ event called Book’d in Burbank. In conjunction with the event, I have written a book review for one of my favorite authors Deborah Harkness on the blog Shelf Pleasure. Here’s a quick preview of my review:…
