Interview with the Writers' League of Texas


“Draped Woman” by John Singer Sargent. Creative Commons 1.0.


Rejoice! I've been interviewed!

By the Writers' League of Texas - please take a look here!

I owe much to the League through the generosity, creativity, and talent of my fellow members. From the interview:
I have learned to believe in one’s writing, no matter what others think. It took me 20 years to write The Camel and the Scorpion, which is inspired by actual events. The rejection letters from literary agents filled rooms. I threw my manuscript at the wall too many times to count. But after each hurl and the passage of time, I would pick up the manuscript again and begin another rewrite. Why? I would have loved to discover the book I was writing in a bookstore or library.
I also give heartfelt thanks to members of the Austin Writers’ League, which morphed into the Writers’ League of Texas, for helping inspire The Camel and the Scorpion. I joined the the Austin Writers’ League’s “novel in progress” group, or “nippers,” as we called ourselves, in Austin in the late 1990s. We met weekly to critique each other’s work and be each other’s supporters and cheerleaders. Those critiques were invaluable—they were done in a nonjudgmental, nonthreatening manner. What’s more, my writing improved tenfold with the group’s input.

The Camel and the Scorpion - Published!

A nerve-racking, vibrantly dramatic tale ... Kirkus Reviews

Nothing has prepared shy young college professor, Caroline Cavanaugh, for the international storm she is about to enter when she learns that her fiery student, Lydia, has been arrested. In Israel. For espionage.

Lydia's grandmother begs Caroline to rescue her granddaughter. Caroline risks her reputation and her dream career at the University of Texas on the unshakable belief that Lydia is innocent. But is she? How well do any of us know another person?

It's the late 1970s. The country is reeling from the effects of the Vietnam War, the fall of President Nixon, civil rights movements, the Great Inflation, and hair-trigger tensions in the Middle East.

The Camel and the Scorpion, inspired by actual events, reminds us how elusive the meanings of guilt and innocence can be.