Blog
Houston Keynote for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Talk about airport projects, I had tons of knitting time getting to Houston and back. Since there were no direct flights where the times worked for me, I had to go through Charlotte. Throw in a little extra time there, both in the terminal and in the air, and I might have gone nuts if…
Read MoreKnitting through the pain
Dentist appointment today. Though I don’t loathe them like some people do, there’s still enough annoying … digging … that I need my pacifier – i.e., my knitting. I was working on socks once while waiting for the novacaine to take effect, and my dentist said, “You’re going at that pretty hard. Nervous, are you?”…
Read MoreOne of the perks of being a writer is …
… meeting other authors. Today was a perfect example. I was one of three authors at a book and author brunch at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Perkins is world-renowned, and the event itself was amazing. The men and women who attended (many with guide dogs) were fascinating to me; I…
Read MoreThe junk man cometh
I’ve decided that the next best thing to steam-in-the-bag veggies is the junk man – you know, the guy with the 800 number and the truck, who comes on a day’s notice and picks up all the stuff you don’t even want to touch. Seriously. I have no idea what dead things lie in and…
Read MoreGetting a jump on Christmas
Amazing, the number of knitting books that come out each year offering speedy knits for Christmas. I wish they applied to me. Unfortunately (or fortunately, to judge from the finished product, IMOSHO) I like knitting with fingerweight or DK yarns, which is thinner and finer than bulky, requires thinner and finer needles, and takes a…
Read MoreSurvival guide for a writer in a book group
My book group met last night to discuss The Paris Wife, which is a fictionalized account of Ernest Hemingway’s first marriage. When I read this book last April, I was intrigued by the marriage, but even more, as a writer, by the ups and downs of Hemingway as he struggled to be published. I was…
Read MoreNaming the baby
A book title either hits me, or it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, I defer to my publisher. After all, a title is a marketing tool, and they’re the marketing experts. Of my last five books, from FAMILY TREE to the present, the only one I came up with myself was ESCAPE, but that was a…
Read MoreMy book is a GO!
Good news. My editor called this morning to say that everyone at SMP loves my proposal. There are a few questions, basically things for me to keep in mind as I write, but now that I have a green light, I can start. I’m psyched! And suddenly nervous. Drafting a proposal is one thing. As…
Read MoreComfort food foot
I finished my Kai-Mei socks last night. Hours in front of the TV helped, because when what you’re watching is emotional, like the 9-11 memorials yesterday were, knitting is a comfort. Part of it’s the rhythm, which is simple and timeless. But part is the material. I confess it. I’m a fiber snob. I mean,…
Read MoreDisplaying family pictures in a digital age
Remember when we used to sit on the floor sorting through boxes of photos, reminiscing, laughing or groaning depending on how we looked back then? There is no box now. Our photos are on the computer, the iPad or the phone. So how do we reminisce? I start by combing through digital files, picking the…
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