My novel Sheltering Angel, based on a true story of the Titanic, includes several actual passengers of the unlucky ship. Let me introduce you to Haitian engineer Joseph Philippe Laroche, the only black passenger aboard. Early Life Born in 1886, Laroche showed promise at a young age and at fifteen, his mother sent him to…

What’s the novel about? In spite of objections from English teenager Sarah Lyman, in 1632 her Puritan family boards the ship Lyon bound for Massachusetts Bay Colony. When the Massachusetts laws prove unbearably harsh, Sarah and her family join Thomas Hooker’s group in settling Hartford, Connecticut. There Sarah befriends two Pequot Indians whose camp is…

In early spring of 2004, when Howard Dean was running for President, my husband Harry sat on the front porch of our Vermont house with a glass of beer and talked about Howard’s younger brother Charlie. Harry had met Charlie in 1968 when they were students at St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island. There were…

 An MFA in Writing student recently asked for a photo of my writing spot for a lecture she was working on. I’ve never given it much thought, but looking at the space through someone else’s eyes, I see it differently. The big desk was a bargain I couldn’t pass up when a realtor was breaking up…

Who doesn’t need an agent? Getting book representation is harder than getting published. I should know.  My 4th book came out in September 2008 with Black Lawrence Press under Dzanc’s umbrella, and this one, like the others, found its way into print without an agent. I don’t doubt that an agent could have gotten me…

One of the best ways to move your writing along is to have good readers, and a writing group can fit the bill. Read my last entry for how to find people you can trust. Make arrangements for a comfortable and convenient place to meet, a place with good light at a time that works for everyone. My…

Let’s assume you’ve written a story or an essay or a poem. Good work! Now put it in a drawer and walk around the block. Ten times. Or, if you live where I do, walk up the dirt road a mile and trot back down. What will happen is that your brain will begin to sort…

This article is meant to be about you and how to get you started down the literary path, but perhaps I should tell you first why I think I can help you.  I taught high school English for 25 years, helping students not only improve their writing but also develop a love for good literature.…