Teri Coyne's Blog
December 17, 2009
I got the call from my Mom on Christmas morning last year that my Aunt Rosemary had passed away in the night. My Mom and Aunt had traveled from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to be with all of us to celebrate the holiday. I was about to leave to meet everyone there. I spent forty-six Christmases with Rosemary. I got forty Christmases with my Father.There are a lot of ways of looking at the holidays. You can stack up the frustrations, the anger, the petty jealousies and the massive amount of...
December 4, 2009
Books have changed my life. It is hard to measure the degrees or the effect, but it is clear, a good book has a way of altering or enhancing your life experience I love getting books as gifts, especially from people who are passionate about the story, the author or the subject. I am always touched when someone seeks out a special book for me or takes a chance on a story they think I might appreciate it. Over the years some of the best gifts I have gotten have been books. While the list is...
November 23, 2009
The weekend of October 16th I returned to my hometown of Pittsburgh to attend my thirty year high school reunion and to do some author events. The weekend kicked off with my reading and talk at the Mt. Lebanon Pubic Library. While the building has changed dramatically over the years, the soul of it is the same as I remembered as a young girl. Mt. Lebanon library was a frequent stop for me growing up. It was within biking distance of our house and provided me with unlimited opportunities ...
November 10, 2009
It's been a while since I've attended a wedding, the days of having four or five to go to in a month are long gone. Now that I'm in my late forties, those of us that are still single swear that if we ever take the plunge we will do it tastefully and with little fanfare -- we'll see. At any rate, I had the good fortune to be invited as the guest of a good friend to a wedding that was executed to perfection. The bride had planned everything down to the smallest detail and it showed in the...
October 16, 2009
October 15th was the seven year anniversary of my father's death. Losing my Dad was definitely one of the big "before" and "after" markers of my life. My father was a very complicated person who had a wise and twisted view of the world. He was never one to shy away from giving advice and throughout my life offered far more than I wanted. So in memory of my father I thought I would pass a few of these little gems on to you dear reader:On Traveling:Always eat breakfast -- it's the hardest ...
October 12, 2009
I'm heading to Pittsburgh this weekend for a few author appearances and to attend my 30 year high school reunion. As the date has gotten closer I find myself thinking a lot about the past and the girl I was in high school and how she became the person I am today.I have to admit I have never been someone who lived in the past or thought very much about it. I don't believe in regret and strive to make the most of all my experiences both good and bad. I keep many stories in my repertoire and ...
October 1, 2009
For me, the key to doing research for a book is to make sure you are writing about something of great interest. Nothing could be more interesting to me than the male point of view. In my second novel, I am writing a story about a love affair between a man and woman told from both points of view and boy is it interesting writing through the eyes of a man.Although I am still in the drafting stage, I have already concluded that when it comes to all the relationships I've had with men...well...I...
September 15, 2009
The second most common question I get asked (after people want to know if the book is about me) is when am I coming out with a second book.
For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Twitter you know I have been working on it pretty seriously for the last year or so. This summer I ramped up the pace of the writing and have set some pretty strict deadlines for myself to get it in shape. I promise it will not take as long as the first book. (It can't, I don't have that kind of patience...
Since the launch I have been adjusting to my life as a published author, which isn't much different from my life before, except there is more work and an ever present sense that there must be something else I should be doing to get the word out. In this day and age, the life of an author is part writer and part pusher, so I find myself spending a portion of every day contacting libraries, organizations, and media outlets pitching them my book (and the value of supporting it.) While I...
September 8, 2009
I have officially put myself on a television blackout on anything related to the Jaycee Dugard case. I cannot sit through another interview where a reporter asks an expert, friend of the family or distant relative the question, "Why didn't she get away?"Every time I hear the question I feel my blood pressure spike as my hands ball into fists. While I understand all the reasons behind the question, I still cannot handle its' implication and our societal ignorance of the realities of abuse.
W...
