Can't play this cool at all, nor do I wish to. After 18 years of research and writing, it feels fitting to revel in the warm welcome my multicultural novel, Candlelight Bridge, is receiving from readers and reviewers. I'm excited to share starred reviews from such...
Books
Old Mr. Ma – Cara’s Story at Women Writers, Women’s Books
My historical novel, Candlelight Bridge, has just been released by FlowerSong Press. I grew up with my Mexican-and-Chinese American Grandma, and Candlelight Bridge was inspired by the stories she told me: tales of secret immigrants, mixed-race children, and trauma...
Candlelight Bridge, by Cara Lopez Lee – coming soon from FlowerSong Press!
I’m excited to announce FlowerSong Press has signed an agreement to publish my historical novel, Candlelight Bridge! I grew up with my Mexican-Chinese grandma and Candlelight Bridge is my reimagining of her family history, a fascinating saga that bridges continents,...
Escape The Pandemic: Read a Book!
Wish you could run away from Pandemic 2020? Try escaping into a book! I've been reading books by other authors—turns out most books are by other authors. But if you haven't read mine yet, then please check out They Only Eat Their Husbands. It's my memoir of how I ran...
On A Limb
I’ve just completed a final revision of my novel—though let’s face it, it ain’t over till the fat publishing contract sings. The twinned elation and depression of completion puts me in the mood to share something. If you read the novel, you'll find this out sooner or...
When Outlines Make Revisions Easier
Writers, today at The Blood-Red Pencil I talk about that thing I never wanted to do because I feared it would stunt my creativity, but which has instead increased my creativity: outlining.
When Do You Fire A Protagonist?
It happens to writers sometimes, but I never thought it would happen to me. No matter how much we love them, no matter how hard they work for us, no matter how sure we are that they cannot be replaced: sometimes we have to fire our protagonists. Today at The Blood-Red...
Who’s Telling This Story Anyway?
Fiction writers, who is the boss of what happens in your stories: you, the characters, or some other mysterious force? That's the question I ponder today in my post at The Blood Red Pencil, Who's Telling This Story Anyway?
Romance Outside the Genre
Are you a sucker for romance even if you don't read romance novels? Check out my interview of bestselling novelist Andrew Sean Greer (The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells), today at The Blood-Red Pencil. It's part of that blog's February look at Men and Romance. Greer...
New Year, Final Draft
Sometimes when I wrap up a writing project - heck, sometimes when I wrap up anything in life - I run smack into that most horrifying of human terrors: completion. How do we know when we're finished? This month's theme at The Blood-Red Pencil is "What's New?" but in...