MEET EKTA GARG…

Ekta is my Editor and she is fabulous at what she she does. Ekta has lived in South Carolina so she is familiar with the Southern voice I write in and  understands the speech patterns. In some delightfully magical way, she is able to save me from awkward punctuation and grammatical errors without ever changing the personality of my characters. This is more than a talent, it’s an art. I love her for this.

When Ekta told me that she and her family were coming for a Disney

We stopped to spend a moment with Mark Twain

Vacation in Orlando, I jumped at the chance to meet them for lunch. From our house it’s a two+ hour drive, but it was well worth it. After meeting Ekta’s two girls and her charming husband I can understand how and why she keeps the “feel-good” elements in my novels. The girls are funny, bright and beautiful. At ages 5 and 7 they are learning to speak Chinese, which I must say impressed me no end.

If it sounds like Dick and I had a great day- we did. I love meeting the people I have the pleasure of working with, as well as meeting my readers. And letting my computer sit silent for a day does us both good. I come back refreshed, renewed and ready to work.

This year I will be doing a Book Signing at the BEA in New York and I will be in Charleston, SC for the PubSmart Conference.  If you are in either of these areas and interested in stopping in to say hello. please let me know. I’d love to meet you.