Are you a matchmaker?
Have you ever played matchmaker and fixed up at friend? Ever been fixed up yourself, as in, agreed to a totally blind date on the say-so of someone else playing matchmaker? Matchmaking fascinates me. No, I’ve never done it – have never known two people who are available at the same time and might actually…
Read MoreWhat does art do for you?
My husband and I recently visited the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA, to see an exhibit of Impressionist art. I’ve always adored Impressionism, but I wasn’t prepared for what I found – and I’m not talking about the art itself, though that was breathtaking. I’m talking about my reaction to it. I was enchanted,…
Read MoreHow many tweets make up a book?
What are people doing with their noses in smartphones all the time? The writer in me wonders this a lot. What are they reading? Texts from friends? Facebook posts? Work email? Is it possible, in this golden era of social media, that not being ‘social’ – as in, waiting in line at Starbucks without…
Read MoreWhen I write about home construction
Does life imitate art? Not for me. For me, it’s the other way around. When life happens, I write about it. For instance, after my husband and I built our house, I wrote about home construction in the Crosslyn Rise Trilogy. When we began spending time in small New Hampshire towns, I wrote Lake News. …
Read MoreMy Valentine’s Day Trifecta
Valentine’s Day is my kind of day. I was a romantic before I ever wrote a single romance, and once I did that – and discovered that people loved reading what I wrote – there was no end to my hearts-and-flowers imagination. All told, I wrote fifty romances, sometimes eight a year, I was that…
Read MoreDo you do crossword puzzles?
When I was a child, I saw my father come home from work every night, sit down with the newspaper, and do the crossword. I have grown up to be very different from him, but here is one thing on which we agree. Crossword puzzles are the ultimate form of relaxation for someone who…
Read MoreWhat’s coming for Barbara in 2014
Young chick, old boots. That’s my theme here. As 2013 fades to 2014, it’s only natural to think about ending the old and beginning the new. But is that what really happens? Not in my book. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. I don’t see that we end and begin. Life is a…
Read MoreChristmas music and me
In theory, I don’t celebrate Christmas. I was raised lighting candles on each of the eight nights of Chanukah, with blessings and presents and latkes to match. But when I was growing up, everyone else on our street celebrated Christmas – everyone else in our school celebrated Christmas. And since I was in the school…
Read MoreHelp Barbara understand All Is Lost
Please note: This blog contains spoilers. If that doesn’t bother you, read on. I’m talking, of course, about the new Robert Redford movie, All Is Lost. Which I loved. But then, I’ve always loved Redford. I loved him with Jane Fonda in Barefoot In The Park and loved him with Barbra Streisand in The Way…
Read MorePage Change
Whoa. I just looked at my last blog, and realized how long I’ve been gone! Well, not really gone. I’ve been here at my desk the whole time, plugging away at my new book. But now we’re into October, and sweet corn is passé in New England. What’s in? Apples and cranberries (the picture below…
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