Call me a bad mom, but I am THRILLED that today my kids are back in school. Now … I can get back to a routine. I’m not organized, and I’m not a big planner, and everyone knows I don’t plot … but I need to have a regular routine to write the three (or more) books a year I write.

I was an only child. Wherever my mom went, so did I. My grandparents took me camping often in their trailer, and my grandpa had a cabin in Woodside where I spent many, many weekends either with him and my grandma or with my cousin, Matt. When it was just Dan, me and Katie, travel was relatively easy. Sure, we needed extra clothes, and diapers, and bottles, and a host of other baby supplies, but once we got used to having a third, travel wasn’t all that difficult. Even when Kelly came, it was manageable. Two parents, two kids. Easy,… Read More

Technically, the Northridge Earthquake was January 17, 1994, but I’ve always equated it with Martin Luther King Day because the quake shook L.A. early that holiday morning — twenty years ago today. I was living in Chatsworth, on the border of Northridge, exactly one mile from the Northridge Mall that collapsed. I’m a fifth generation Californian from the San Francisco Bay Area. I’ve been through many earthquakes. Growing up, we had earthquake drills — get under your desk, hands over your head, until the shaking stops. When your teacher tells you, line up and go to the designated point outside… Read More

This week I’ve been staying up late writing and last night crashed at 9:30 … and totally forgot my blog. It’s one of this “catch up” days which I needed, but inevitable, things fall through the cracks … like remembering this was MY Thursday to post. Thing is … I have nothing to say. I’m going to New Zealand next week to keynote the New Zealand Romance Writers conference (yes, I’m very, very excited!) … I’m also presenting a workshop and doing other things for the conference, so I’ve been planning and preparing and shopping … and my mind isn’t… Read More

My kids have only been out of school for three days and already I’ve heard the two youngest sing–often–the popular song called, “I’m bored.” If they were growing up in the 70s and 80s like me, they’d be out every day until the street lamps came on. I had three good friends who all lived only blocks from me (and my best friend was two doors down); I had a bike I rode everywhere; and I had a summer pass to the movie theater where every Saturday we could see a dollar matinee of Disney movies. I spent hundreds of… Read More

My kids have only been out of school for three days and already I’ve heard the two youngest sing–often–the popular song called, “I’m bored.” If they were growing up in the 70s and 80s like me, they’d be out every day until the street lamps came on. I had three good friends who all lived only blocks from me (and my best friend was two doors down); I had a bike I rode everywhere; and I had a summer pass to the movie theater where every Saturday we could see a dollar matinee of Disney movies. I spent hundreds of… Read More

It’s been that kind of month. My youngest is in baseball (his first year) and my youngest daughter is in softball (her first year) but before we signed her up for softball, we signed up for a soccer league — just six Saturdays, no practices, 4 on 4. Great practice for passing, dribbling, and scoring (in much smaller goals, no goalie) … but it started THIS weekend. The same weekend as a two-day softball tournament. Not to mention that my middle schooler is going on a week-long spiritual retreat with the entire middle school (which I had to buy stuff… Read More