Writers Paradise

           In July, Immortal Works Publishing of Salt Lake City, Utah accepted my debut thriller novel,  The Midnight Call , for publication. As a writer, this is a dream come true, and as an attorney, it raised certain questions about how to handle the business side of writing.             We all know that there is the writing and the business of writing. The former is act of creative expression, where the thoughts fly out of our heads quicker than we can capture them on the page. The later is the dollars and sense of the writing biz. It’s the monetary investment in your craft - joining organizations like Sisters in Crime, taking classes and seminars, attending conferences, hiring an editor, self-publishing expenses, book promotion and touring. It’s also the Holy Grail – getting a publishing deal and receiving royalties.             For many years, I’ve been writing a theater guide series, SEATS : NEW YORK, but the business of non-fiction writing is a completely different ani

                                                            The Tweet that changed my life             Last year, I read “Year of Yes” by Shonda Rhimes. Yes, the “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Scandal” and “How to Commit Murder” Shonda Rhimes. Usually, I avoid memoirs and self-help books, but I’m addicted to Shondaland. Besides, she’s a self-made Hollywood icon and I was hoping for some dish on my favorites television characters.              Despite Shonda’s fame and fortune, she described herself as being socially paralyzed. She felt like she was living in a vacuum, dividing her time between her kids and her demanding television schedule. When on Thanksgiving 2013, her sister Delores remarked “You never say yes to anything” those words really hit home.              After decades of refusing social, speaking invitations and awards, Shonda decided for one year to say YES to experiences and opportunities that she’d previously shunned. During that year, Shonda bravely put herself out th