Writer's block is a crutch some people use when they don't want to do the hard work of figuring out why a book suddenly stalls. When a story stops flowing for me and I can't seem to move forward, I read the previous pages to see where I took a wrong turn. That so often happens. I think I know exactly where the story should go, but my unconscious mind has a different and much better idea. My advice to you is, "Don't try to force a story to go in the direction you've plotted. Relax and let the story and the characters show you the way."

I've discovered a remarkable way to jump start my work. At the end of the day, usually when I'm wrapping up a chapter, my creative energy is very high and ideas for the next chapter are firing through my brain. I type a few notes to myself, and sometimes even the first sentence or two of the next chapter, so I will not have to face a blank page in the morning.

Also, I have a routine which signals to my brain that it's time to write. I select a mug from my collection, fill it with a warm drink, either tea or coffee, then set it on a special tile on my desk, inscribed "Give your soul a bubble bath." Next, I choose music to write by, usually Native American flutes by Marina Rae or an Italian opera. Then I open my curtains to my view of the gardens, the bird bath and feeder, and I am ready to go.

The most valuable writing advice came from my daddy. "Peggy, you can do anything you want to do. Just believe." Because of him, I never stopped to question how a country girl who grew up on a farm in northeast Mississippi could possibly become a writer.