Customer Service and the Death of the Offline Store

The Dread Daughters received bows and arrows for Christmas from my mother-in-law. (New at the Salerni House: Now More Dread per Daughter!) ...

2010 in Recap

Can you believe that 2010 is almost over? I can remember being a kid and thinking the year 2000 seemed so far away and magical. And now, tha...

Would YOU Fly if the Pilot Didn't Want To?

Sorcia says, “THIS is a blizzard?” I may very well eat my words if I wake up tomorrow (not too long after this post is published) and discov...

Happy Christmas Eve, Everyone!

It’s the Night Before Christmas and the house is a wreck. All the creatures are up and about and running amok. The children are NOT nestled ...

A Slice of Salerni Life 2010

With fond greetings to all my blogging friends, this is my Christmas card to you ... and my annual Christmas skit: Dianne sits in her usual ...

Revision: Alternate Universes for Your Characters

If you’re a writer, then you know how real your characters can be. You dream about them, talk to them, maybe even argue with them. They ta...

Sixteenth Anniversary and Dear Teen Me

Happy December 17th, everyone! I know it may not be a significant date for most people, but it’s my wedding anniversary! Bob and I were ma...

This is How Traditions Start ...

Several years ago (eight, to be precise), I decided to get creative with the note I sent out in Christmas cards and I wrote a creative littl...

The Tooth Fairy Experiment

Friday’s blog post about the end of Santa in our household sparked a family discussion about various childhood legends, and Gina confessed t...

Ho Ho Ho No More?

(LENNY: COVER YOUR EYES!) A few years ago, I lost my enthusiasm for Christmas. I used to love shopping (okay, not in crowds, and mostly onli...

Beautiful Blogger Award

I have to thank Marcy over at mainewords for this lovely, purple award! Marcy's my crit partner, and I've been enjoying being an a...

Our Mountain Retreat

My family has spent a week in the Poconos Mountains every winter for skiing ever since we’ve been a family. Our favorite place is Blakeslee...

The Hound of the Salernis

We were planning to send Sorcia to doggie day camp while we were away for the holidays, but my sister-in-law Deb said that she and her husba...

Anachronauts

Shortly after arriving at Dorian’s Parlor on Saturday night, we had the chance to chat with one of the founders, Gil Cnaan, who described t...

Photos from Dorian's Parlor

Wow! What an extravaganza! Dorian's Parlor did not disappoint -- it was an exciting evening of entertainment, where the people OFF th...

Practicing for Dorian's

I’ve been practicing all week for this weekend’s reading at Dorian’s Parlor . Actually, you could say I started practicing last weekend, wh...

Sending a Kid up Everest

Report cards and parent conferences are over, and it's time for Thanksgiving break! I feel like I've worked hard enough for it! Exha...

Squashed Flat

I don’t have much for you today, folks. A week of being buried under report cards was followed by a week of parent-teacher conferences – in...

Fantasy Cast

Occasionally, in blog interviews and even in person, I get asked, “Who would you pick to play the lead roles in We Hear the Dead , if it wer...

Gina Review: Vordak the Incomprehensible

I've got Gina here -- ahem -- I've got ZARKOR here, cape and all, to give us a review of a book that's pure evil ... Gina's ...

The Crime of the Century

I love it when I’m researching a project and I discover a fascinating side story that has nothing to do with my WIP, yet pulls me off track ...

Blogs I Shouldn't Write

Last week, students were off for a teacher in-service day, and I attended a day full of meetings and presentations. A day full of meetings ...

A Time to Pantster and a Time to Outline

I’m hanging up my “pants” on this WIP and taking up outlining for awhile! When I start a new story, I generally know how it begins and how i...

In Defense of Daylight Savings Time

Last week I railed against changing the clocks, and most of my blog followers agreed with me. I invited dissenting opinions to share their ...

A Blog Wordle

This is a Wordle created for my blog by a former student (and friend of Dread Daughter #1) It clearly shows what's been on my mind latel...

Having Mom in the Classroom Next Door

This year, my daughter Gina is in fifth grade, and she's in the classroom right next to mine. Her teacher is the young man I mentored t...

Daylight Savings Time Hell

Sunday is the day we change the clocks again. UGH! The older I get, the harder it seems to make this time shift twice a year. My entire bo...

Dorian's Parlor

So, it’s all set: Saturday, November 27 at the Doubletree Hotel in Center City, Philadelphia, I’ll be reading from We Hear the Dead and lea...

Meet Sorcia

As Halloween approaches, I am sadly reminded that we no longer have our live-in, year-round Halloween decoration – our black cat, Maui. We ...

When the Cosmos Beats You Over the Head With a Sign …

Okay, so last week I was excited about my pre-writing, brainstorming process, but as I started to do actual research, my confidence faltered...