Honesty, faith, loyalty, love, learning from failure, and never backing down from a challenge–so many gifts from one wonderful father. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Love you, Dad–Happy Father’s Day. 💜   June 17th Words Journal:  0 words Long fiction: 0 words Short fiction: 0 words Non-fiction: 0 words Blogging: 55 words …Read More

  Random Bits and Bobs We burn more fat if we exercise on an empty stomach. Sounds logical, but ugh. Gymboree was one of my number one choices for adorable kids’ clothing. How sad that they’re filing for bankruptcy. Gwyneth Paltrow and a day with Goop. In a galaxy far, far away. I can’t bear …Read More

  Thursday was a bit of a down day. Our girl and her fiancé left for their summer gigs up east, and I simply crashed. I started out the day with good intentions, but by the time I finished my healthy yogurt, blueberry, and Udi’s granola breakfast, and found that I also ate my entire …Read More

    I haven’t been a girly-girl since I had my first child. In fact, I don’t think I was ever issued a girly-girl card. Manicures and pedicures have never been a regular part of my life. At my last pedicure, the guy who was cleansing and lotioning my legs (is that even a thing at a …Read More

    I’m over at the Kill Zone Blog today, where I’ve posted a critique of  an anonymous author’s opening to a novel called The Last White Rose. I was shy about writing the critique because I don’t often do personal critiques, except for friends and the occasional student. But I had a lot of fun doing …Read More

  Every year I take many pictures of the gorgeous orange tiger lilies as good friend gave me years ago. This year I wondered what they would look like if they grew on the moon.             June 12th Words Journal:  77 words Long fiction: Revising Short fiction: 0 words Non-fiction: …Read More

    “I don’t have a favorite color, because I’m not a four-year-old.” Where did I hear that? A film, perhaps? As I recall, the delivery was pretty snarky, but it still made a huge impression on me. I felt so…liberated. Why do we have to have favorite things? Maybe someone first asked that question …Read More

  All emotions are pure which gather you and lift you up; that emotion is impure which seizes only one side of your being and so distorts you. —Rainer Maria Rilke Emotion may be truthful, but it’s not necessarily the best measure of reality. Wishing you lots of discernment and clarity this week…💜   June 10th Words …Read More

    If you hang out with me on social media, i.e. Facebook or Instagram, you know Tuesday afternoon and much of Wednesday was spent with stranger dogs. Strangers, as in not my dogs. When Walt and Charlie (I only found out their names later) first showed up, I tried to chase them out of the yard. …Read More

  Usually in the months between finishing one novel and beginning a new one, I write at least one short story, and some non-fiction. It feels important to me to flex my writing muscles in other genres and forms. (But don’t expect any poems, okay? It’s for your own safety.) This spring I wrote a short …Read More