I am at that delightful stage where I am involved with sharing early news of my novel Claude and Camille while writing another novel....but I am also so happy that autumn has come to New York City! It is hard to keep me at my desk when the park and river call to Read More
Writing historical fiction: sometime journal of a New York City novelist
IS AUTUMN FINALLY COMING TO NEW YORK CITY?
September 5, 2009
Ever since I finished CLAUDE & CAMILLE, and in the final months of writing it, I have been compelled to go down to Riverside Park and the boat basin, a short walk from my building. It is a magical spot, quite odd and peaceful. Boats creak in the water, water sloshes against the pilings. My Read More
working away on a new novel!
July 31, 2009
It feels quite wonderful. I won't say what it is just yet but it got chosen among several contenders. We'll see! I can breathe more quietly now. Writing CLAUDE & CAMILLE was a very intense experience for me, and now I go another way while my publisher continues with their work on it. In the Read More
writing novels
July 3, 2009
A great deal of writing a novel is discovering its innumerable parts and depths and colors and place and people and moving them around with joy and deep fascination to lay them out in the most compelling way it can be told. Then you slowly reveal it in drafts, paragraph by paragraph, deepening and Read More
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and more edits on my Monet novel!
May 23, 2009
My editor at CROWN was very enthusiastic about my edits and came back with a bunch more so I am still working on this book! Sometimes I think I will be shortlisted for The Most Intensely Revised Novel award... I think when this finally gets published I shall have a great deal of wine, Read More
FINISHED MY EDITS FOR "CAMILLE AND CLAUDE"
April 18, 2009
I finally sent my edited manuscript to my editor a few days ago. I was stunned for several hours, and kept imagining seeing Claude at 28 taking down my pictures from the walls and hanging up his instead and eating leftovers from my refrigerator (he was always hungry at 28, so I hope he likes cold Read More
revisions on my Monet novel
March 7, 2009
I am working intensely on my editor's suggested revisions for my novel of the young Claude Monet and his muse/love Camille. I realized I had cut out some rich stuff which I am tucking back in. This is an intense phase to make it as wonderful as it can be. I expect very Read More
weather and writing
February 9, 2009
I was fortunate to walk by the sea yesterday in the warmer weather, even out on some rocks with the little waves splashing about them. I have been working on two nineteenth century novels now,one set in England and one in France, both with creative women who must learn how to juggle their Read More
wandering beween my novels
January 3, 2009
I have so many novels partially written, some with whole drafts, others with twenty pages. I feel sometimes each occupies a different room in an old mansion; some rooms have not been visited in years, the furniture is dusty and my voice echoes in them. I go into my mansion Read More
a snowy day in New York City
December 19, 2008
When I write, I go so deeply into the world of my imagination that sometimes I feel like a pale ghost in this one. You may picture me, a wisp of a woman floating with uncombed hair through the branches of our Christmas tree, making the hanging stars and angels stir slightly as I pass. Snow is falling outside. I need to close my writing file and remember that there are many things to be done in this world before Christmas! Read More