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Remembering Walter Parazaider, the Man Who Dreamed of a Rock Band with Horns
Walter Parazaider, the woodwind player from the band Chicago who passed away yesterday at age 81, was the first famous saxophone player I knew by name. As an only child, I had to discover music on my own. It wasn’t until 1985 that I learned that there was a rock and roll band with horns (Walt’s dream) but after I did, there was no turning back. Chicago vaulted to the top of my all-time favorites list and remains one of my top two bands of all time. And it all began with a question. Discovering Chicago and Walt When kids pick up an instrument and learn it, many have established…
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What Happened After I Said Yes
The Rewards of Leaning into Fear: How three weeks, a borrowed saxophone, and a terrifying invitation reminded me that growth still begins with “yes.”
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The Writer Waiting on the Other Side
Have you ever actually felt the Muse alive in you as you’re writing? Last week, I actually did, and I realized it nearly in real time. Let me explain. “Remember, a Jedi can feel the Force flowing through him.” Those are the words Ben Kenobi tells young Luke Skywalker forty-nine years ago (in this galaxy) about the mysterious energy field that surrounds, penetrates, and binds the galaxy together. We creative types know our version of the Force. It’s the Muse. She’s there to help us create something from nothing, guiding us through our creative blocks and drawing on lessons from the past to make the best possible thing at the…
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104 Days to Make Something Real
Reframing Summer as the Season for Creating Instead of Coasting Veteran writer Dean Wesley Smith dubs the summer months the Time of the Great Forgetting. It’s that point in the year when the good intentions of New Year’s Resolutions made in the depths of winter fall by the wayside in the bright light of hot summer days when the pull to do just about anything other than write draws writers away from their keyboards. It’s only in later summer and early fall when writers remember their annual goals and either charge full-stream ahead and barrel to the end of the year, desperately hoping to achieve their milestones, or just give…
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May 1: My Writing New Year
Every May 1, I give myself permission to start over—without pretending I haven’t been here before. Thirteen years ago today, I made a resolution to write more stories, and I was going to begin with the image in my head: a man in a fedora, knocking on a door, and bullets ripping through the wood. That idea became my first published novel, Wading Into War. Every May, I come back to that decision and take stock of the work. I call it my Writer’s New Year’s Day. Some years are good. Others aren’t. But on May 1, I reflect, reset if necessary, and keep going. In past years, I laid…
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Stories, Strangers, and a Weekend in New York
Last week, I wrote about my idea of leaving a copy of my latest book, Lucky and Unlucky in Love, at various places around New York City as I traveled up there to perform at David Geffen Hall with my church orchestra and choir. (The performance was outstanding, by the way! Truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.) Now I’m back to talk about the experience. And just wait until you read about Drop #3. I had two walking-around days: Sunday and Monday. Since each day was anchored by either a dress rehearsal and call time for the performance, my friend and I strategically aligned our days. Sunday was the South Day, meaning…
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What Happens If I Just…Leave My Book Places?
A “Let’s See What Happens” Marketing Experiment in New York City I’m trying something new this weekend that I’ve never tried before: marketing in the wild. And by wild I mean New York City. My church orchestra and choir are performing at Geffen Hall on Monday and the group is traveling up there starting today. Yes, we’re flying out of Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport—the place every national news outlet seems to be covering right now because of the TSA situation. I haven’t flown on a plane in seventeen years so I’ve spent that time ignoring airport news. Well, not this week. But it is what it is, so I am…
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You Never Read a Book Alone
You never read a book alone. You bring every story you’ve ever read with you.
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Leveling Up at Midlife: Learning to Write a Romance Novel
After nearly two decades of writing crime fiction, I thought I understood difficulty. Murder plots. Historical research. Layered mysteries. Turns out, none of that prepared me for writing about two divorced people learning how to trust again. This year, I’m writing a slow-burn romance. And it’s humbling me in ways I didn’t expect.
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What a Hockey Rom-Com Taught Me About Love, Fear, and Visibility
It started with a recommendation. A good friend at the office suggested I watch the TV show “Heated Rivalry.” I didn’t know anything about it but looked it up. Based on the second book in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry focuses on two rival hockey players—Shane Hollander (Hudson Willams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storie)—who fall in love over the span of multiple years. When I asked my friend why she thought I’d enjoy the series, she commented on my love of rom-coms, good stories, and great characters. Plus she knows how much I adore stories that elicit an emotional reaction. All true, especially that last one.…