Sometimes you have to change your plan. I tend to put a lot of thought into my plans, and can therefore be resistant to changing them. But the universe is going to do what the universe is going to do, plans be damned. My novel was published by the late, great Plum Tree Books/UK. This …
This week I’m remembering the first novel I ever fell in love with. I read voraciously as a child, going through all the books in the children’s section of the local library and reading during classes instead of paying attention to the teacher. But Watership Down was a book on my mother’s bookshelf. I was …
Back in the late 70’s my mother made a stop-animation film for a college class. I remember looking at the set she’d built on a table in her apartment and her warning me that if I touched it, she’d kill me. The project took a very long time. A tiny bit of film, she’d move …
When I write, I sometimes listen to music. The music fits either the mood of the story or the personality of the characters. The other day, I had the chance to collaborate on a music show with London DJ Claudio Fiore and with my publisher, Plum Tree Books, that tells the story of the music …
My novel launched today! (Here at Amazon.) Since the story is set in the summer of 1985, I’ve been thinking back to those high school days. What were you like in high school? I wasn’t popular. I liked to be in the art room with a sketch pad or a book. The drawing posted here …
Today I finished chemo. One surgery remains. The toxins will leave my body, my hair will grow back, and I’ll get to call myself a survivor. But aren’t we all survivors if we make it to another day? I don’t know, but I find survivor a strange thing to call myself. Many people are kind …
Well, not really. And I’m not someone who tries to talk to the dead because I don’t think they’re listening. But anyway, Plum Tree Books wrote about poetry and death–two things often seen together–and the post suggested trying to write a poem with the title I Can Talk to the Dead. I am not a …
We all have a story why we write or make art or create whatever it is we create. How far back does the story go? Does my story go back to the first book I fell in love with? (Watership Down) Does it go back to my mother’s love of books? My grandmother’s love of …
I hid the babies in my closet. There were three–baby rabbits that fit in the palm of my hand. The stray cat that had taken to sleeping in our carport had killed their mother, and my step-sister and I found the babies in the dirt by the pool. N. wasn’t living with us anymore, but …
Why is she a Hermione? Because of her, I can type this from where and when I am right now, and you can read where and when are. At least, she is considered the first computer programer. You can read more about her here. But Ada and Hermione would have made great friends, both studying … Continue reading
Have you been taken in by Stranger Things? Months ago, I read about Winona Ryder starring in this new Netflix series, which snagged my attention. Yes, I was one of those people who loved Winona in Heathers and Beetlejuice. I wanted to be Winona because I’m so tall and nothing like her, but as a … Continue reading
I’m adding my share of twee to the universe. I like dark and edgy as much as anyone, but give me good doses of sweet and quaint too. Please. I’ve been posting photos of Din and Bun with bits of conversation. It’s fun and takes a bit of stress out of the day. These two … Continue reading
Not enough people read my blog for me to write what I do for any reason other than I just want to. Like you, I’m just hanging out on this planet drifting through space–Carl Sagan’s famous blue dot. I hope my fraction of a fraction of a split second is time well spent. In my … Continue reading
This week tore apart a lot of lives. And I’ve been wondering what I can do other than feel bad. Feeling bad is an okay place to start, and you can’t deny emotion which operates on its own compass, but it’s no place to stay. Sometimes I tell my son, “If you want to feel … Continue reading
Violence-ophilia? Is that a word? Seems as if it should be. It’s a virus, right? Sorry, Earth Humans. You’ve tested positive for the often fatal Violence-ophilia. Without treatment, prognosis is grim. Nonetheless, treatment is long and painful and not for the faint of heart. Step One: Accept diagnosis. Many patients prefer not to know. Step … Continue reading
I’m trying to stay calm in the storm of election season. In real life on a bad day, I tend to talk back to the radio, which is a silly thing to do. Right? Of course it is. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. But all that aside, I just had an art show … Continue reading
