The time has come to brush up on my scheduling. I’m an inconsistent scheduler–resistant and yes, a bit lazy. I’ll set goals and forget what they were the next day. Two weeks in a row I’ll neatly and colorfully lay out my bullet journal, only to forget to consult it. Or I’ll consult …Read More

When you were five or six years old, did you have a dream for your life? A ready answer to the question, what do you want to be when you grow up? I didn’t. I find that kind of sad, like I missed out on something really important. This memory is fuzzy: When I was …Read More

  Since I took the summer off I have quite a few photos I haven’t shared on the blog. These are from a lovely summer Sunday I spent in Cincinnati, my home town, with my parents. Most are from the riverfront park. There are some amazing multi-person swings that sit on a ridge  overlooking the …Read More

  Earlier this winter I visited the Cincinnati Art Museum–one of my favorite museums–with my son. These sculptures are the inspiration for the as-yet-unnamed Southern gothic short story I’m finishing up right now. I could have looked at these all day.                             …Read More

  I can’t grow an orchid to save my life. A good friend sent me one a couple of years ago, and I kept it alive for six months. At least it gave every sign of being alive. In the seventh month, it started looking a bit petrified. Plus the cat thought it was a …Read More

Here it is the end of November already, and only today did I realize I didn’t do a wrap-up of events for the publication of The Abandoned Heart and the paperback of Charlotte’s Story. Can I blame wanting to get back to work on the next book? I did have a fabulous time bringing out The …Read More

If you know me, you know I tend to fudge a bit when someone asks me where I’m from: “Well, I was born in Cincinnati, and I grew up in Louisville.” But I was, indeed, born in Cincinnati, and it is the place of my earliest memories. Among my favorites are of going downtown with …Read More

I have a love/hate relationship with zoos. I love the idea of the contemporary zoological park–one that’s dedicated to preserving life from around the planet. The tiny Mill Mountain Zoo in Roanoke, VA, is one of my favorites. It specializes in both plentiful and endangered species from Asia, mostly. Many of the animals there live …Read More