• Coming in January – My First Two Books!

    News

    I am utterly thrilled to announce that I am publishing my first two books on January 26, 2012! Heiress Without a Cause and Scotsmen Prefer Blondes are the first two books in my Muses of Mayfair series, featuring a secret club for ladies with scandalous artistic ambitions. Heiress was a 2011 Golden Heart finalist in the Regency category, and Scotsmen won the Golden Heart in 2009. You can read more about both books below. Pray, tell me more! →



    Posted on 2 November 2011 * 4 Comments
    Tags: Ferguson and Madeleine * Real Life * Thrilling * Upcoming Books * Writing Career *

  • Writing Retreats – Finding Your Focus

    Blog

    I’m not afraid to admit that my writing has been a bit unfocused of late. I traveled like mad this summer, which is why my blog went on a bit of an extended hiatus. I also submitted my latest book to publishers this spring, and I’m always a bit of a basketcase during the submission process (perhaps a post for another time). But now that I’m settled and eager to get back into my writing, I needed to jumpstart my process and find my focus again.

    Ironically, I found that the best way to focus was to run away again. Pray, tell me more! →



    Posted on 16 October 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Hermitage * Productivity * Retreats * Writing Life *

  • Recently Read: JUST LIKE HEAVEN by Julia Quinn

    Blog

    Just Like Heaven (Smythe-Smith Quartet #1)Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
    My rating: 4 of 5 stars

    This book was just what I needed when I read it – a fun, airy story without any uberangst. Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books are some of my all-time favorites, and “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton” will forever hold a place on my top-ten list. Compared to that, “Just Like Heaven” is…well, just like, but not quite as, heavenly (sorry, couldn’t resist).

    That said, it was wonderful in a light sort of way. There’s virtually no conflict, and the conflict is so lacking that I found myself wondering if JQ would ever get through an agent/editor submission these days, since they’re beating the conflict drum with all the intensity of the cave trolls and orcs going to war in “The Two Towers”. But the lack of conflict is made up for with the lovable characters, the wonderful internal/external dialogue, and the simple joy of revisiting the Smith-Smythe musicales that played such a central role in the Bridgerton series. Fans of JQ will love it; people who like their heroes and heroines angry/wounded/betrayed/bitter/desperate, not so much.

    View all my reviews



    Posted on 14 October 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Goodreads * Reviews * Sara's Books *

  • How to Final in the Regency Golden Heart

    Blog

    I’m over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog with my fellow ’09 Regency finalists – we’re discussing what it takes to final in the Regency category of the Golden Heart. If you’re entering, considering entering, or even just thinking about how to polish your Regency manuscript, please stop by!



    Posted on 11 October 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Craft * Golden Heart * The Rubies *

  • Grief and the Regency

    Blog

    “Grief and the Regency” doesn’t have quite the same appeal as “Sex and the City,” but bear with me. I have tried to write this blog post for six months. Perhaps I should have let it go. And yet every time I opened WordPress, I couldn’t ignore the draft and move on – or force myself to write it.

    In April, one of my friends died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. He wasn’t quite thirty. I had dinner with him and his fiancee the previous week, and he seemed fine – happy with life, excited about the wedding, eager for the next step. A week later, I was sitting in his fiancee’s parents’ living room, crying with her and mourning what was supposed to have been. Their save-the-date cards had been delivered the day he died. Pray, tell me more! →



    Posted on 19 September 2011 * 2 Comments
    Tags: Oversharing * Real Life * Somewhat Uninformed Social Commentary *

  • Back From the Dead

    Blog

    I’m sitting in a friend’s apartment in New York City, about to relocate to the Marriott for the Romance Writers of America annual convention. I must apologize for the abrupt, unusual silence on the blog; I’ve had quite the spring, including a three-week roadtrip involving 4500 miles of driving around the Great American West and a sudden unplanned move to a new apartment in San Francisco. But, once the conference (and a two-week trip to Germany for a friend’s Indian/Scottish wedding immediately after the conference) is over, I shall blog again in earnest!

    Check back this week for updates, though – I’ve got a lot of exciting events coming up, including breakfast with Sarah Maclean and Sophie Jordan, dinners with the 2009 and 2011 Golden Heart finalists, and the Golden Heart awards ceremony (where all shall be revealed). It’s all going to be fun, and I can’t wait to share it with you.



    Posted on 26 June 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Real Life * RWA Nationals * Travel *

  • Check Out My Guest Blog on Using Screenwriting Tricks in Your Novel!

    Blog

    Apologies for the blogging hiatus, dear readers; one of my friends passed away a month ago, just before I went on a three-week roadtrip (during which I drove 4500 miles), and it has taken me awhile to get back into my regularly scheduled life. I will be active here again any day now — but to tide you over, check out my guest post on the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood blog. I’m chatting with my fellow 2009 Golden Heart finalists about using screenwriting tricks to plot your novel — please stop by and say hi!



    Posted on 23 May 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Real Life * The Rubies * Writing Life * Writing Process *

  • Writing Life: I Wish I Could Be “Limitless”

    Blog

    note: Bradley Cooper gets much hotter with drugs; let's just say this isn't a morality tale

    I saw the Bradley Cooper vehicle “Limitless” a few weeks ago and loved it, despite the somewhat mixed reviews. Early in the movie, he starts taking a drug that grants access to the 9/10ths of the brain we supposedly don’t use, and the first thing he did was overcome his writer’s block and finish his novel in four days. He went on to do lots of other things unrelated to writing and entirely related to shady dealings, but for me, the writing fantasy was simply wonderful. And my fascination, despite the negative side effects the character suffered, certainly worried my friend — she kept leaning over the armrest to whisper, “No! No drugs!”

    Luckily, the drug was fictional, and given that I don’t indulge in anything stronger than Diet Coke (and the occasional mojito or three), I’m not in serious danger. But I read a Salon book review today that brought it all rushing back. And if that book can cure my block without the side effects of a (fictional) drug, perhaps it’s worth exploring. Pray, tell me more! →



    Posted on 19 April 2011 * 1 Comment
    Tags: Pop Psychology * Sara's Books * Scenes from the Interweb * Writing Life * Writing Process *

  • How to Follow One of the Top Romantic Comedies of All Time

    Blog

    This is so totally not Regency-related; it’s not even book-related. But, I trust that you will give me the liberty to occasionally post other things that amuse me. And right now, I am amused by this short movie for a supposed sequel to “When Harry Met Sally”. This isn’t a fan-made ripoff; it stars Billy Crystal and Helen Mirren. Let’s just say that their attempts to refresh the story for a modern audience are hilarious.

    Check out the video here and let me know what you think! And if you have other videos I should watch while procrastinating, please do share.



    Posted on 14 April 2011 * Add a Comment
    Tags: Awesomely Ridiculous * Scenes from the Interweb *

  • Steal This Look: Striped Evening Gowns

    Blog

    What’s old in fashion is always new again — and I would certainly rather steal from the Regency period than from the 1980s. While the west coast hipsters gradually descend into ’80s-ville and drag the rest of us with them, I’m fighting the trend and trying to stay true to my own style. The biggest style issue I’m facing right now is the search for an evening dress for the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart/RITA awards ceremony. It’s a posh, glittery affair, and since I’m a Golden Heart finalist this year, I’d like to look my best.

    But where, in the name of all that’s holy, can I find a dress that is both demure and cutting-edge, classic and modern? And is there any magic potion that can make me look taller than 5’0″? I can’t find anything for my height problem (other than unwearably high heels), but I may be onto something for the dress…

    Pray, tell me more! →



    Posted on 12 April 2011 * 10 Comments
    Tags: Clothing * Fashion * J'adore * Spendy * Steal This Look *