This is the Reason I Hate my Camera

Well, I don’t really hate my camera.  I actually love it.  I just hate the selfies it takes. They’re awful – make me look tired and old. From what I read, I’m not alone in selfie-hate. From what I read, there are scientific explanations for the notorious badness of selfies. From what I read, the most…

Read More

Is listening to audiobooks cheating?

I didn’t always listen to audiobooks.  I’m very much a visual person, who needs a map in my hand.  When it comes to books, I like to hold them.  I like being able to skip back and forth when I’m confused.  I even like being able to read the ending before I reach it, so…

Read More

I’m incubating …

Incubating.  What does that mean, someone recently asked.  This person had first asked if I was taking a break, now that my new book is finished and in production.  Lord, no, I said.  Writing is what I do.  It’s what I think about when I’m up the creek without a paddle – e.g., in the…

Read More

Give me back my Internet!

An awful thing happened yesterday.  At two in the afternoon, I lost my Internet connection.  Oh, my Wifi still had full signal, but Comcast was not reaching it. This wasn’t a total surprise.  I’d been hearing trucks outside my window during the few hours preceding that and figured work was being done in the neighborhood. …

Read More

I remember seven spectacular summers …

This summer of 2017 has been amazing for me in a totally unexpected way.  My nine-year-old granddaughter went to sleep-away camp for the very first time – 3½  weeks at a girls’ camp in Vermont.  Every night, her camp posts several hundred photos taken that day, so that parents can see their daughters in action. …

Read More

What is patriotism?

I’m playing with words again, but, hey, that’s what being a writer is about.  And now, with another Fourth of July here, the concept of patriotism comes front and center. By definition, ‘patriotism’ means vigorous support for one’s country.  And while I’m not one for marching in a parade brandishing guns, certainly not one for…

Read More

The art of the apology

“I’m sorry,” she said in horror. Embarrassed, she said, “I’m really sorry.” “I am so, so sorry,” she said with heartfelt regret. I write these words in my books all the time.  In fact, I’m about to write a pivotal scene in Making Up in which apologies are key.  It’s between mother and daughter, Margaret…

Read More

A Woman’s Place

I remain devastated by the recent election, in part for how it relates to being a woman.  Much has been said about the message Hillary Clinton’s loss sends to young girls.  But what about me?  What about other women my age?  What about the message her loss sends to us? I’ve always worked.  From the…

Read More

Wading into the political

Politics and religion are the two things I avoid in my writing.  Oh yes, my regular readers can guess my leanings.  But I don’t discuss them outright in my books.  My readers come from all walks – right and left, north, south, and central.  They expect a good story, not a diatribe.  And I respect…

Read More

Emoji elegy

Not long ago, my nine-year-old granddaughter took my picture with her iPad and made an emoji of me.  I loved watching her do it.  She was totally adept at navigating her emoji app to pick the hairstyle most like mine, the color of my hair, eyes, and skin, the shape of my face and lips. …

Read More