Writing and Publishing
The Dog Year
The Dog Year Chapter One It’s Not About the Breast In the hospital parking ramp, Lucy snuck a glance at a new mother placing her infant into an elaborate car seat. The woman’s husband stood hovering at her shoulder, his hand gently touching her hip. She lingered, gazing at the tiny, beet-faced infant, love fairly…
Read MoreWriting In-Scene
Writing in-scene is one of the best things a writer can learn. Here is a terrific exercise for writing in-scene using sense and want. Write the alphabet down the side of the page Write your own autobiography by choosing one NOUN for each letter of the alphabet. The noun should somehow signify one part of your life. …
Read MoreI Wrote This Book About You
I wrote this book about you. No? Well, here’s how it goes with my new book I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around. I’m holding the book and a person next to me reads the title and laughs. Then as if I’ve caught them doing something embarrassing like thinking something not so nice…
Read MoreI Think Everything Is Funny And A Little Bit Sad
I Think Everything’s Funny And A Little Bit Sad Last week, I met one of the elementary-school students my daughter tutors. We were in the produce section in the grocery store. Our conversation went like this. Girl: “Hey are you Meghan’s Mom?” Me with a playful grin: “Yes, how did you know? Girl: You look like…
Read More5 Ways To Spend Less Time With People Who Annoy You
5 Ways To Spend Less Time With People Who Annoy You (because if you do these things you won’t need a 6th way). *this was originally published at Happily Ever After USAtoday.com I just spent the weekend in fundraising activities with my ex-husband. In short exposures this has been a fine thing to do. Enjoyable even.…
Read MoreWhich Character Are You? Take the Quiz.
Which Character in I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around are you? (Take the Quiz here https://www.boombox.com/c/quiz/133864/3868db42-) Are you the winsome, lovely yet hard to pin down Wendy? She’s a character and you either love her or hate her all day long. Or, are you the practical, devoted mother Hallie Monahan who was a working,…
Read MoreDemco And My Little Free Library Journey
I just took a lovely walk with Demco and I want to tell you about my little free library journey. I’m a girl who has had library-love her whole life. Before I could read I sat in the library moving my lips pretending. I wanted people to think I was a prolific reading genius. Once…
Read MoreA Little Bit About Writing: Blog Roll!
I’ve been asked by a wonderful network of authors to write a little bit about writing in, what we authors call a Blog Roll. This is a chance to talk a little bit about our writing process. Sometimes people are interested. Sometimes not. So for those of you fascinated by how people write (I’m one…
Read MoreThe Dog Year Book Launch
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Read MoreTHE DOG YEAR & other True Confessions
ME: (to my students) “Caveat Emptor!” STUDENTS: *blank Look* (Apparently they did not see the Brady Bunch episode where I learned about that phrase, so they do not understand my excitement). ME: “Let the buyer Beware!” (said with serious wisdom imparting face) STUDENTS: *blank look* A few scratch. ME: “If…
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