La La La, De De Da

We've all got one: the phone message we can't delete. It's a small child lisping something adorable, or a spouse saying he or she's sorry, or the guys on the bowling team yelling "Happy Birthday." Today, for your reading enjoyment, I present mine.

Back in May, one month after A House to Die For's publication, my twenty-two year-old-son Matt called from the Bahamas. (He's an engineer on a luxury charter yacht.) Getting my voice mail, Matt left me a message that begins with two lines of a song. Reach back in your music memory to Billy Joel's signature ballad, Piano Man, and you've got the tune.

Ready?

My mom is a real estate novelist, who never had time to talk to her kids.

Now, the "never had time to talk to her kids" part is so NOT true, but the first part is dead on. Thanks to Midnight Ink, I AM a real estate novelist. Wahoo! My mysteries featuring a kick-ass real estate agent have made my most cherished dream of publishing fiction come true.

Matt's message is saved on my phone in perpetuity, or -- as they say here in Maine -- for-EV-AH. Each time I play it, I get a huge, goofy grin on my face.


We all know that the writer's life isn't easy; sometimes it can be pure drudgery. There are days when the very act of putting words on paper physically hurts. But tossed in here and there are little gems that keep us inspired.

Do you have a quote by your desk that motivates you? Or a message that you can't erase? Tell me, but if I don't respond, it's cause I'm talkin' with Davy, who's still in the Navy, and probably will be for life.