I was planning to write about the winter storm here in Texas, the surprise of being without electricity or heat from 2am Monday to 1am thereabouts Thursday. We didn't lose water, thank goodness, but plenty of my friends and students did. Some people are still without water. Aside from the love, dogs provide heat! We …
I've started several blog posts that I haven't finished. Percocet took over and I couldn't think. And everything I write seems ridiculous. Trite. Meaningless. I don't have anything to add to the cancer narrative. I can't add any original observations. I've started reading two breast cancer memoirs. I finished the first chapter of one of …
A student told me today that in her country if you told people you were afraid of dogs, they would think you were normal. But if you told people you were afraid of spiders, they would think you were crazy. Well, okay. I learn something every day. Have you learned anything surprising lately?
Do you ever google people from your past? Hmmm? Well, okay. So. I set my novel in 1985 because that's when I was a teen and because I didn't want to deal with cell phones and google. I used my hometown as a starting point for my novel. But then my fictional town of Lake …
So. Here's the thing. I've decided I'm a famous writer in a parallel universe. If this real world isn't going to read my work, then my world will. Right? Of course. Prove me wrong. So, I've got a new blog, Famous in Parallel Universe. You could subscribe or leave my parallel self a comment. Some …
The garbage disposal was broken. The maintenance guy and I were sharing stories of growing up without garbage disposals. As a kid I carried my plate outside, walked to the side of the house, and scraped whatever was on my plate into the cow pasture. Mr. Maintenance asked me where I grew up. Florida. And …
Surprise may be something you avoid. Years ago, a friend's husband asked me to get his wife out of the house on the day of her surprise birthday party. "It's your birthday! What do you want to do? My treat!" "I want to see Life is Beautiful." "For your birthday? Won't it be depressing?" "Yes! …
Maybe this happens to you all the time. Yesterday, I was introducing myself to another parent at the roller rink. And a friend standing nearby asked if I were skating too. "Yes," I said. "I've been at my computer so much this week, I need to move." And this father, who knew nothing about me …
This story may beg the question: is this writer crazy? Okay. I exaggerate. I'm a writer. It's what I do. But be that as it may. It isn't as if I don't know what I'm writing when I write. I do. Sort of. Nonetheless, I get to the end and find myself thinking, "Really? Did …
Have you heard this line: The time to make up your mind about people is never. I saw The Philadelphia Story in my early teens, and it is still a favorite. This works in real life and in fiction. While there are certain groups that I'd like to label with some lovely satisfying insult--and sometimes …
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Marta Pelrine-Bacon 