Finally. It’s officially fall. Or autumn. I like the sound of autumn, though I feel like a pretentious twit when I use the word instead of fall. I read once that you should do your major spring cleaning in fall, instead of in spring. The logic is that your house is full …Read More
Have you read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? No, I mean have you read it recently? It’s one of those books that you might have read if you had a very cool 11th grade English teacher. (We read The World According to Garp by John Irving. That was definitely eye-opening.) I don’t think I actually read …Read More
One of my writing role models is Margaret Atwood. Did I say “writing role model?” That seems such a trivial phrase compared to the actual influence she’s had on my life and writing. From poems to essays to short stories to novels and children’s books. She’s done it all. And that’s where she’s had her …Read More
In no particular order of fun. It was all good, as they say.
Someday I’ll tell you what it’s like to be married to a genius writer guy. But for now I’ll just share a little bit of his work. His name, btw, is Pinckney Benedict. He doesn’t have a website, a blog, or a Twitter handle. He does have a Wikipedia page. If I say that his …Read More
These days, my husband the writer, creative writing prof, gun nut, and all-around genius guy Pinckney Benedict doesn’t spend much time on the web (with the exception of some office hours in Second Life). So I feel privileged that he agreed to do a post for Octoberguest! If you write or read, you should check …Read More
Next week is my big appearance with Joyce Carol Oates at the Kentucky Women Writers Conference! Any advice? I have 25 minutes to talk, including a brief reading from CALLING MR. LONELY HEARTS. What to wear? Do I have time to lose five pounds? Have a little eye work done? Get a hefty dose of …Read More
I was all set to write about entropy today, but the subject suddenly feels rather depressing to me. Entropy isn’t much fun at all, is it? Entropy is creeping chaos. Ew. I prefer my chaos to be more straightforward than that! So, meet Scout. Scout is a ten week-old black and tan rat terrier mix …Read More