Four Reasons Why I Listen to Classical Music
I never used to. Well, I did occasionally, but it wasn’t my go-to station when I was in the car. I mean, I’ve always appreciated classical music. I just never before needed it as much as I do now. What changed? Donald Trump came to power. That single happening has been so loud, so ugly, so divisive, that…
Read MoreThese Are MY Reasons For Spring Cleaning
Are you into this? Such a cliché, the expression “spring cleaning,” and I never consciously set out to do it. But here I am, again this March as I do every March, sorting through unnecessary paper on my desk, disposing of expired food in my pantry, weeding winter-weary clothes from my closet. I tell myself…
Read MoreThe Truth About Why I Don’t Own a Gun
Why I Don’t Own a Gun It goes back to my childhood when I never had a toy gun. For one thing, I was a girl, and guns were considered improper toys for girls. For another, my parents never owned guns – largely because their parents had grown up in the shadow of Hitler, a…
Read MoreThis is Why I’m Sweating the Start of a New Book
Who said writing a book is easy? I’ll tell you who. The man who sold me my first computer. I had been writing genre fiction at the time, and when I explained to him what that was, he said, “Ah-ha, this computer will make it easy. A few clicks and you can change names,…
Read MoreThis is the Reason Women Must Still Rock The Boat
“Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History.” I saw this last week on a mug in my local CVS, and it brought back memories of a tee-shirt I had with the same message until dozens of washings decimated the words. I still have an apron whose bib reads, “Every mother is a working mother.” That one…
Read MoreThe Good News and Bad News of Book Titles
There’s good news and bad news. The Good News Twilight Whispers, one of my earliest mainstream novels, is making its debut as an e-Book at the end of this month – on January 30, to be exact. The bad news? I can’t stand the title. I’ve been struggling with it since this book was first…
Read MoreWhy I Hate New Year’s Resolutions
When was the last time you made a New Year’s resolution you actually kept? Think about it. And be honest. What resolution have you made in, say, the last five years that you’ve actually seen all the way through? If you’re anything like me, you’re stuttering, trying to come up with one. Because the resolutions…
Read MoreThis 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 MoreIs 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 MoreI’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…
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