May 18
I’ve started final revisions of My Dear One’s sequel, My Own, in preparation of sending it to my editor, for you guessed it, her to send back to me for more revisions! But that is the nature of the authoring beast—you think you’re finished, and someone, maybe yourself, shows you how wrong you are. That …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/1228/
Mar 21
If you clicked on the title expecting something about college basketball, I apologize. As much as I love basketball (three of my four kids played competitively in high school) I don’t follow the March playdowns. My March Madness stems from insight gained at a recent writer’s meeting seminar. Almost every month, the writer’s group I …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/march-madness/
Mar 14
Late last week I emailed ARCs of My Dear One to volunteers. One reader has already finished (!), and another contacted me to tell me she’s loving the story–hates the steward–and what is up with the heroine’s formal speech? Short answer? She’s British. And daughter of an English peer. Rules of etiquette differ depending on …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/formal-is-normal/
Jan 04
There are grandmas. And then there are grandmas. My maternal grandmother was of the latter variety. Soft in all the right places, gentle, quiet, she was the rock of the family. I loved her dearly. To me, she was Mum-mum, my name for her from the time I was toddler and she used to look …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/and-then-there-are-grandmas/
Mar 23
Today Belgium. A few months ago, Paris. Almost fifteen years ago, 9/11…it is sickening. And damn near paralytic. In the aftermath of 9/11 I was emotionally paralyzed. I slipped into a writing slump, unable to focus on my frivolous hobby when others suffered so. Writing had suddenly become…inconsequential, and selfish in the face of incomprehensible …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/bear-up-and-write/
Feb 10
I’ve been scarce lately. Online, that is. My family still finds me routinely annoying in person, but fortunately they love me enough to pretend I’m interesting. Interesting. I’ve been musing that word for a while now, as it is in essence the reason I’ve been avoiding social media for months. I no longer find it …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/saturated/
Jul 30
My daughter and son-in-law are moving over 700 kms this coming weekend to start new jobs in a city much closer to family and friends. Changing jobs and moving is not particularly unusual, but the speed at which Daughter and SIL implemented change in their life, is. They decided in late June they wanted to …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/i-want-i-will/
Jan 10
I spoke to a former co-worker today when I called my former place of employment with a concern regarding a recent bill. She sounded so happy when she realized who I was, and stated she had been thinking of me of late, wishing I and a few others who also left the company still worked there, because then “I know …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/in-praise-of-jimmy/
Jan 03
2013 was the year we were going to shake things up. A new job for hub’s meant a 400 mile move for the family complete with a new lifestyle, new neighborhood, new school, new bank, new hairstylist, new gym, and…no. We did not move, despite the fact I packed boxes, investigated schools, researched rentals—we almost …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.deborahsmall.com/stirred-not-shaken/
Jul 09
Live. Laugh. Love. These three words crown the French doors leading to my deck. I put them there, in plain view of the living room sofa and recliner, to remind me what’s important in life. When things get tough, as they do at times, I only need to look up: Live, Laugh, Love. And I do. Deborah …
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