Port Reading

My favorite seaside town in New England is Newburyport, MA where the Merrimac River flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Plum Island. Over the weekend I had a reading at The Book Rack bookstore on historical State Street in downtown Newburyport. About 30 people attended which was great since it was a gorgeous autumn afternoon!I look forward to returning in March for the launch party of my non-fic book, GLEE! Thanks to everyone who came… EA

FANS & Foliage

I luv to hear from fans via e-mail, letters, and photos -- like these pics of smiley Sydney and Allyson on the couch, and Sarah absorbed by some book :) I have been up at our cottage in Maine the last few days and the foliage is the BEST I have ever seen, so I took way too many walks and way too many pictures and once again got very little writing done! [ea]

Jeff the Contractor

We hired this crazy funny guy, Jeff, to rip down our deck and build a screen porch. He demands a constant flow of Starbucks coffee and frequently interrupts me to show me a joke on his Blackberry or ask me where my dog Chinaberry is – he likes having her outside with him. I have to admit Jeff’s a lot of fun having around, but I’m not getting a whole lot of writing done. That’s him with the saw, smoking the cigar, and later eating pizza while his crew works! >ea<

The Family

Our extended family is very close and we spend time together whenever we can. We have cousins in Minnesota, Georgia, Maine, Illinois, Virginia, and even in Scotland -- but we always stay in touch and make plans to meet. In fact my upcoming novel, FREKE FAMILY REUNION, was inspired by our numerous (and very entertaining) family reunions over the years! (photos: the g-rents Grandma & Papa; my kids Malou and Nate; a pile of nieces and nephews on the couch; 2nd cousins at the marina :) +EA+

Treegap

Much of my writing is done at our cottage in Maine by Kezar Lake. I named our house Treegap after my favorite tween novel, Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt. My Treegap has a magical quality like the setting in the book. All sorts of secrets hide within the forest and under the mushrooms and beneath the dark green moss. My old black lab Chinaberry always joins me on writing trips – she loves to swim with me in the lake….(ea)

summer appearances

I can't believe how fast summer is fading away....had a couple readings which were fun. luckily knew lots of people in both cities so had good turnouts :) next book reading in Newburyport, MA at the Book Rack on State St., Oct 18 at 4pm (PHOTOS: book reading at Hobart College in Geneva, NY; Erik and I in front of our old college house; book reading at the Red Balloon in St. Paul, MN; From Alice to Zen on Display!) -ea-