I've been using a lot of my quarantine time for writing, obviously. But when I need to take breaks, I finally have time to try all of the cross-stitch projects I've been saving up for years. A lot of them are pop culture-based. Here are two Parks & Rec related patterns I purchased from Etsy vendors. I know this bookmark looks strange, but if you knew of Leslie Knope's inexplicable hatred of libraries, it's pretty funny.

I’ve gotten a few questions about humorous dialogue and how I write it. I’ve taught a few workshops on the subject – generally about how my lifetime as a TV watcher has shaped how I write dialogue. But I haven’t taught the workshop in a few years and geez, my references were dated. So I reconfigured it for my blog without the distracting slides. There is room for humor in any plot – romance, thriller, horror, you need a humorous beat every once in a while to break the tension

Or "How To Take Care of Your Kids While Also Working From Home During the Quarantine" I’m used to working in my pajama pants. When “Winter is Coming,” I prep for snow days to protect my work schedule and deadlines, while still creating some fun for my kids. Along with my winter pantry, I stock up on LEGO sets and craft kits and books and art supplies to hold in reserve. When school gets called off, I dole one thing out from the “fun vault" to each kid, every other day, so I d

Or "How to Succeed in Pajamas Without Really Trying." Also, that is a stock photo and not my actual legs. As someone who’s worked from for almost ten years, I feel pretty fortunate that my job is “pandemic friendly.” I know not everybody is used to working from home as many people seem to be doing that over the next few weeks, I thought I would share some of the tips I’ve picked up over the years. -Establish your work space and keep that your work space, exclusively. If you h

A lot of readers asked about my writing process, and since I just started a new project, I thought it would be a good time to blog about that. With all books, I start with a blank document. It’s the SCARIEST THING IN THE WORLD. There is nothing more terrifying to a writer than “no words.” A lot of authors work with fancy organizational programs and those are great. They’ve just never worked for me. If I really want to get involved, I'll write out chapter highlights on index c

Amanda and I talk about the author/actress life similarities and intentionally interacting with people in real life.