Happy Labor Day weekend, American chickens–and happy weekend to the rest! For those of us in the US, this weekend marks the end of summer, but here on what used to be the Blog A Go-Go, it’s the start of two months of fun. For the months of September and October, we’re doing a retrospective…

Today is our final reader question, this one from Jessica: What’s the process you follow when writing a mystery? Do you know the answer (who done it) and work backwards, or do you let the characters lead to you the answer? For me, writing a mystery is a simple thing from a structural standpoint. I…

Reader Kristin asked this: In your July 11th post, you touched on the idea of trying new methods when working on a new project. Are there any parts of your writing process or method that you believe are immutable, or do you think inspiration/epiphany could trump anything? Such a fabulous question! And I think no,…

Please join me & your favorite authors at the Writerspace Beach Party Sunday, August 25th from 8pm ET to 11pm ET. We’ll be chatting and giving away Kindles, autographed books, gift cards and more. You don’t have to be present to win, but you must be registered. To register, and for details on all participating…

Reader Jennifer asked: When writing, do you only concentrate on one book at a time? Or do you write one book while still having idea for another? Focusing on one book at a time is absolutely impossible when you’re under contract for multiple titles. Too many things overlap! For instance, this summer, I turned in…

I’m not even attributing this one to a particular reader because this question gets asked a LOT–and has been asked since THE DARK ENQUIRY came out: when is the next full-length Julia Grey novel being published? The answer is: I haven’t the faintest. Not satisfactory, I know! My publisher wants more stand alones at present,…

Reader Steph had a question about work spaces: I love looking at photos of writers’ workspaces. Can you please post some photos of yours? Is there anything you use in your workspace (whiteboards, pinboards, etc.) that you find indispensable for putting your research/ideas/storylines together? I LOVE my workspace! I’ve written about it before, but for…

Reader Paula asked: Have you ever traveled to some of the locations in your books? Yes! Not all of them, alas, but  I do love to travel to the places I write about. For the Julia series, I’ve been to England–London, Yorkshire, etc.–and those trips were absolute magic. (The Yorkshire trip came as I was…

Reader M.K.–who is also the writer Mary Tod!–asked: how and why did you decide on the voice you used for Delilah in A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS? Ah, such a good question! And not an easy one to answer. I can’t say I was ever conscious of developing Delilah’s voice. Once I knew who she…

It’s reader question time, y’all! I love this time of year because it’s the one time I can be absolutely certain you’re wanting to hear what it is I’m wanting to write. So, we’re beginning with reader Edie who asked the following: How do you arrange your hours/days/weeks to balance, in no particular order, deadline-looming…