I adore the holiday season. I love the twinkle of lights, stockings hung by the fireplace, the nip in the air (even in Birmingham, Alabama), and the scent of delicious treats, fresh from the oven, wafting through the house. In our house, the holiday season means baking cookies. Lots of cookies. Batches of sugar cookies. Snickerdoodles. Gingerbread cutouts. We whip up loads of royal icing and gather bottles of sprinkles and colored sugar. It’s a relaxing, fun, and messy way to

My 13-year-old son loves Stranger Things. He sits on the sofa, rapt, as the music starts and the action begins. He can’t wait for season 3. And, not long ago, he invited me to watch it with him. I figure it’s either because I’m the coolest mom on the block or he’s expecting the fright of his life. (I know, I know. The latter.) Still, as a parent, I savored the experience, absorbing the show and his reactions. The grins. The shrieks. The looks of horror. The bouncing up and do

I’m back today with three more “best writing book” recommendations. Two of today’s choices may seem a bit out of the ordinary, as they fall in to the film and screenwriting industry category, but I have found that both are exceptional when it comes to capturing the magic of story construction and creating compelling characters. Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need The author, Blake

Although I think everyone sees characters differently in the novels we read, I’m often asked who I’ve pictured while writing Center of Gravity. If the book was made into a movie, it’s also fun to think about which celebrities might play the main characters. Here’s my cast for Center of Gravity: Ava Carson – Emma Stone Emma Stone is best known for her roles in The Amazing Spider-Man and Crazy, Stupid Love, and would play Ava in Center of Gravity. She and her mother moved to LA