My Morning Walk
Most mornings, I get up, throw on some clothes, and go out for a walk before I’m awake enough to talk myself out of it. I spent the summer (and most of the spring before it, too, now that I think about it) glued to my desk chair, working to get multiple projects out the door. As a result, I gained about 15 pounds. Not happy. When I got out my fall clothes this year, I washed all my jeans and cords, even though they were already clean, so I’d have something to blame if they were tight when I put them on: “Oops! Must’ve shrunk a bit in the dryer . . . “ Morning walks help. My jeans are fitting the way they’re supposed to, thank you very

Countdown Tuesday: Six Weeks to Go!
Six weeks from today I’ll either be dancing around my house or hiding under my desk because Deadtown will officially be out. (I’ll probably spend some time doing both.) Next week, I’ll announce the prizes I’ll be giving away throughout December—one each week as we count down to Deadtown. This week, I want to talk about zombies. Deadtown’s Zombies Deadtown exists because of Boston’s zombies. When a plague tore through downtown Boston, infecting and killing every human in its path, the initial quarantine zone became Deadtown, the district where all of Boston’s paranormals are requ

Starting
Starting a new project always feels impossible. I open a new file, type “Chapter 1,” and . . . then what? How the heck do you write a book? How do you go from that first blank page to a completed manuscript? It feels like I’m standing at the bottom of a mountain, trying to figure out how to be on the summit. Of course, no one expects to be magically transferred from the foot of a mountain to its peak. It doesn’t work that way. You have to plan your route, a

Some Photos from Our New York City Trip
It’s been over two years since my husband and I took a real vacation. So spending a long weekend in New York City was a much-needed break. We stayed at the Empire Hotel, just steps from Lincoln Center, home of the Metropolitan Opera. (I’m an opera fanatic, so this was the best possible location.) Here’s the view from our window (if you squeezed way over to one side and leaned at just the right angle):

We Now Return to Our Countdown, Already in Progress
Less than seven weeks to go until Deadtown’s release (as of right now, about 46.3 days, to be precise).  During the month of December, I’ll be offering weekly Countdown Tuesday giveaways. For the rest of November, the countdown will give glimpses into the characters, world, and background of Deadtown. (I’m also compiling these posts on the Deadtown 101 page of the site.) Know Your Demons Vicky Vaughn is Boston’s only professional demon killer. Most of her clients are individuals who hire her to rid them of their personal