Many writers dream of a lifelong writing life. The key words here are dream and lifelong. First, let me dispel any notion of dreaminess: the most successful authors will tell you its hard, wide-awake work. Second, lifelong can be your reality. My suggestions for sustaining a writing career over a... read more
Title Image: The Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables seen from one of its two 18-hole golf courses. I’m living in Coconut Grove for the semester. One neighborhood to the west is Coral Gables. I explored it on Sunday. For the title image I chose the Biltmore Hotel. It was a... read more
For the past seven weeks I’ve been living in Miami. This means I’ve been here long enough for the topic of hurricanes to come up often enough to understand that they are a part of regular conversation here. For over 10 years I had reason to be in Orlando fairly... read more
On Saturday I went to the University of Miami to attend a one-day linguistics conference. The event took place in the Flipse Building. It stands on one edge of the campus, removed from the center. Which meant I had no idea what the campus looked like. So, during the extended... read more
When it comes to cross-species love, the ancient Greeks were way out ahead a long time ago. The title image of Géricault’s “Leda and the Swan” offers one possibility. To remind you: Zeus transformed himself into a swan and seduced Leda. Well, sure. Gods can do that. Or Zeus anyway.... read more
Realistic deadlines. First, what’s a deadline? A deadline is akin to a baby’s due date. It’s a commitment to make manifest in the world the vision in your head. Second, do realistic ones exist? Yes, as long as you know a lot about yourself as a creative writer. My take:... read more
Walt Wolfram Documentary: The Producers The latest Walt Wolfram documentary is Talking Black in America. Walt is the Executive Producer. And Renée Blake is one of the Producers. Walt is Distinguished University Professor at North Carolina State University. In addition, he directs the North Carolina Life and Language Project. He... read more
Your Writing Life: The Dream You want a writing life. You dream of a writing life. I know the dream, because I have it, too. It’s the one where you’re at your desk in your home office. With an ocean view, of course. And it’s where you’ve penned any number... read more
Vizcaya Estate lies at the northern end of Coconut Grove. It sits pretty on Biscayne Bay. The principal building is a Venetian-style villa. The structures dotting the estate follow architectural suit. The formal gardens are an Italian Renaissance landscaper’s dream. Construction began in 1914 and continued until the completion of... read more
Heather Graham is a highly successful New York Times bestselling author of over 200 novels and novellas. Her work crosses many genres: romance, thriller, mystery, horror, paranormal. She lives in Miami and was the guest speaker at the Florida Romance Writers monthly meeting this past Saturday. She spoke from a... read more
