Yes, it’s true. On February 2, 1990, I got The Call. HarperCollins wanted to buy my first book, a historical romance, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW. The time was 3:30pm. This is an Event Worth Celebrating, so let me share Some Thoughts About Writing. Warning — this is Serious. (Christina waits for the dust from… Read More

I have three confessions: I’ve got the scar of a gunshot on my forehead. I don’t remember an entire year of my life. My name is Kellen Adams … and that’s half a lie. That’s the start of my upcoming thriller, DEAD GIRL RUNNING. So many of you, after you read that, asked questions, including, “Is… 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

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

I was once asked to write a chapter for HOW TO WRITE A ROMANCE, the book Romance Writers of America published in conjunction with Writer’s Digest. As a subject for me, they suggested Selling A Book Can Change Your Life. I burst into laughter. I called my published friends. I read them the subject. Each… Read More

  ON THE OTHER HAND … Every writer faces a moment in her career when she realizes that a good part of success has nothing to do with writing skill or career planning, and everything to do with pure, dumb luck. For me, that moment arrived at a conference in St. Louis in 1993 when… Read More

The most frequently asked question from my dedicated readers is — Where do you get your ideas? I have published fifty-seven full-length novels: historical, suspense, and paranormal and, (let me be precise about this) a lot of short stories and novellas. So obviously, ideas are out there and I find them. To explain the process, let’s start… Read More

C’mon, you know you’ve done it. You wake up with PMS and figure you’ll make an emergency run to the grocery store for chocolate, even though you look like hell — but who cares, you never see anyone there who knows you? And you meet your minister, your fifth grade teacher, the guy you’re secretly… Read More