Authoring a novel is somewhat like having a baby: there is a lot of precolating until it is born. When, finally, you shove it out into the world, all you can do is pray for the best that others love and care for it as much as you do.

My latest novel, called THE BABY PLANNER, has just gotten a big head start in its short…

The best thing about the holidays is giving, not getting. I feel very blessed this year. One way in which I plan to give back is to play Secret Santa for one lucky reader. The prize: a $50 gift card to the book store of your choice.

Here's how it works:

1. Read this…

I love Halloween. When my kids were younger, one of the thrills of living right off Caledonia Street in Sausalito, California, was that you were at Ground Zero for the town's trick or treat chicanery. The evening would start with a parade of li'l ghosts, goblins and costumes-du-jour, a costume judging contest, and then a promenade through the grid of streets that flank…