From the moment I began writing the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime in 2009, Tori Sinclair, Rose Winters, Margaret Louise Davis, Leona Elkin, and the rest of the gang became my friends. They made me laugh, they made me cry, and they made me feel like I was one of them. When I was between books, they still popped in for a visit once in a while, whispering story ideas in my ear. Sometimes those whispers came in the shower, sometimes the car, sometimes on walks. So it wasn’t necessarily out of the ordinary to hear one of those whispers while eating lunch with my youngest daughter. But this time, instead of Leona elbowing her way to the foreground in the hopes of claiming a book all to herself, this particular whisper involved all of them…in New York City, no less. Suddenly, I could see Margaret Louise white-knuckling it in the back seat of a New York City Cab, Leona flirting with the doorman at her hotel, and Beatrice Tharrington snapping photographs of each and every landmark with her beloved Kenny Rogers bobble head in tow. And as each new image played in front of my eyes,…

I don’t remember my first time in the ocean, but I do remember the last time. It was just over a week ago during a weekend getaway with my hubby. You know how when you’re young, you’re gung-ho to race into the water? Who cares how cold it is? Yeah, that wasn’t me this time. I had to get acclimated to the chilly temperature before I moved anywhere. After my DH and I sat back down in our beach chairs, my gaze was stuck on the cutest little guy. He was probably three or four-years-old and stood carefully at the edge of the water holding his dad’s hand. His bright blue board shorts practically reached his ankles, and I had the strong feeling it wasn’t the temperature keeping him from moving deeper into the sea, but trepidation. I know the feeling. You do, too, right? Fear is something we all face at one time or another. I think it’s especially potent when we’re about to embark on something new or different. And okay, for some of you it might also be when you see that big, black ugly spider. No worries! Call me and I’ll come get it for you!…

Adi Alsaid, author of the new contemporary YA novel LET’S GET LOST is touring the web with “Seize the Tuesday” posts to celebrate the publication of his novel. Each piece will focus on a different, fun example of how Adi was able to “Seize the Tuesday” in his own life and how that can inspire others to make a change in their lives too! Seize the Tuesday not only gives readers a glimpse into Adi’s life, but also introduces readers to one of the key themes in LET’S GET LOST of “seizing the Tuesday” – of seizing a moment that can change your life forever. About LET’S GET LOST Five strangers. Countless adventures.One epic way to get lost. Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named LEILA. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most. There’s HUDSON, a small-town mechanic who is willing to throw away his dreams for true love. And BREE, a runaway who seizes every Tuesday—and a few stolen goods along the way. ELLIOT believes in happy endings…until his own life goes off-script. And SONIA worries that when she lost her boyfriend,…

As a mom, my life is ruled by lists. For me, there’s no other way. I’m trying to remember when my little list habit had its genesis. I believe it was back when I forgot a minor deadline, a doctor appointment, and a present for a birthday party…all in the same week. I’ve learned a lot about lists along the way. Here are five things I’ve learned about lists for life and writing: Break the goals into steps and make them reachable. I’ve made impossible lists before and found it really difficult to stay motivated with “organize shoebox full of loose photos” and “finish writing book” on my list. It’s so much better to see “spend 15 minutes sorting loose photos by event” and “write two pages today,” instead. Block out distractions. When we’re focused on knocking items off our lists, distractions really stand in our way. For writers (and, well, probably most everyone else), distractions might be the allure of the internet. They might also be our kids, television, or our attempts to multi-task. I’ve found that I tend to finish tasks a lot quicker if I eliminate distractions. This might mean disconnecting from Wi-Fi or asking my kids…