The Joy of Sudoku

My first encounter with a Sudoku puzzle took place in 2005 over the Pacific Ocean on my way home from South Africa. When I opened the in-flight magazine to a page with a grid of numbers and blanks, it was love at first sight, but I didn’t realize how hard I’d fall.

My Little Kindle

World of Words

For Christmas I wanted—and received—a Kindle e-book reader so that I could read my sister-in-law’s novels, which were released as e-books in December. How fitting and exciting that the first book I read on Kindle was Just for Kicks, by Judy Dearborn Nill. http://judydearbornnill.com/

First Author Interview

Judy Dearborn Nill

Today, I’m pleased to present an interview with author Judy Dearborn Nill, who recently released three of her Young Adult novels on Amazon.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 10. I was always trying to “rewrite” Nancy Drew and my other favorite stories. But about that time

First Hurdles

Three years ago, I started writing a novel. Although I had no idea where the story was going, dozens of pages filled up with characters who seemed to be having a great time. At the end of chapter seven, I came to an obstruction—I was bored.

The Right Time and Place

Yesterday I got to see Andrew Clements, my newest favorite author, in person. So much fun. Seemed serendipitous to me that he came to our area at this particular time.

The Key to Writing Fiction

Several years ago, when I first became aware I didn’t know how to write fiction, I looked for help from successful authors. To my surprise, I learned writing is a hot topic.

Ever Elsa, Ever Dan

Recently, I read Lisa Genova’s Still Alice*, a novel in which a psychology professor struggles with Alzheimer’s Disease. Her poignant and gripping story reawakened for me the real life drama between my pioneer-woman grandmother, Elsa, who lost her memory, and my remarkable grandfather, Dan, who cared for her.

A Book for every Place

Where do you keep the books you’re currently reading?  Ever since I took to reading several at a time, they’ve found their way into every room of the house.  Any flat surface is fair game.

Dick Francis

It was a wonderful setup—Dick Francis wrote the books, and I, along with millions of other fans, read them.