On June 5 at 4am, my 96-year-old father-in-law died of natural causes. What to tell you about Tom? He was eccentric, funny, opinionated (but that was okay because we usually agreed), outspoken and intelligent. He didn’t suffer fools gladly. Because he grew up in a small Idaho mountain town during the Great Depression, he was… Read More

When people discover I’m a writer, there are a lot of reactions: Have I read you? Should I know you? And— Are you going to make me a character in your book?  The answer: No. I know somewhere in this world exists that person who is interesting enough to be a fictional character, but I’ve… Read More

Many readers ask how did I get the idea for the Lost Hearts series… There are so many contemporary ideas to be found! On the internet, on television, and in real life. JUST THE WAY YOU ARE is the first of a three part series, and the idea sprang to life when I heard about… Read More

Recently, I toured to autograph FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW, so let’s enjoy a re-run of… THE BANANA BOOK TOUR! Before I was published, I thought going on a book tour would be glamorous, a time filled with fine hotels, fine food and adoring fans. Book tour is grueling, funny, wonderful, surprising, embarrassing and exhausting, often all… Read More

Rae ran into the kitchen yelling, “Grandma! We got a dog!” Verona turned away from the accounts spread across the table. “Well, let me see it… My God, what’s that?” She pulled off her reading glasses and stared as the fifty pounds of red muscled beast bounded in, tail wagging, and explored her kitchen. Rae… Read More

— According to a study cited by Dr. Joyce Brothers, women who read romance novels make love seventy-four percent more often than women who don’t read romance novels. — According to special research from the British Medical Journal, the more orgasms you have, the longer you’re likely to live. Recently I got one of those… Read More

The current bane of my existence is … Drum roll, please! Naming characters. Sure, you’ve done it. You named your kids or your pets. You know how important this is. You worry about it, argue about it and finally come up with the perfect name. But to date I’ve written 60 published books (FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW… Read More

Twelve years ago, my husband and I moved from Houston, Texas — conservative, cosmopolitan, friendly, high temperatures — to a small town in NW Washington state — liberal, wild and wooded, peopled with eccentrics. And in winter, there’s this white stuff … it falls from the sky … it’s cold… We have five and a… Read More

If you’re a newsletter friend or regularly visit my website or follow me on social media, you know that The Husband built me … er, us a stone circle. Every year on the summer solstice we go out and watch the sunrise. The temperature is cool, so The Husband builds a roaring fire (actually, he… Read More

The best writing advice I give is very succinct. Put your butt into the chair and write. There’s no substitute for experience. But since I’m seldom without something to say (ask my husband), I wrote up a random series of: CHRISTINA DODD’S WRITING TIPS About Characters: Plot is important. Characters are more important. Readers must… Read More