“Write what you know.” That’s writing advice of long standing. As one story goes, Louisa May Alcott followed this advice and wrote Little Women after a publisher pointed out her tales of lords and ladies were not authentic. I’ve been asked often if I wrote about my own family in
A book club at a nearby town asked if I would like to attend. They would read Escape from Assisted Living. Of course I was pleased and hoped I could live up to their expectations as author. No one could have asked for friendlier or better prepared readers. What surprised
The holiday season feels especially merry for me with the pleasure of One More Foxtrot, a tale of second chances being published. Betty Miles and Sharon and Vince D’Angelo, Betty’s daughter and son-in-law, were too real let go of after Escape from Assisted Living. And I really enjoyed the interest that my
With “Singing du-wa-ditty-ditty-dum-ditty-do” in the background, I am inspired to update my website. Thank you Barbara for featuring it on the class page. It’s always sad to hear your report of the passing of classmates. Their names bring back scenes that seem like only yesterday. Here’s one I wonder if
Our local Barnes & Noble organized a full day of reading aloud of To Kill a Mockingbird the day before the release of Go Call a Watchman. Each reader read a chapter every half hour sitting in the cafe. The mic was set a a modest level so browsers could
Coming-of-age stories about people 25 to 40-something often bore me–been there, done that. Give me a novel about someone in the second half of life and I’m hooked. Romance, self-discovery, spiritual growth, personal challenges, and family drama, it’s all there nuanced with the complexity that more time on earth and
Many writers I’ve met rarely, if ever, submit work for publication. Perhaps a rejection or two has been a discouragement, or they not submitted for years recalling the chore of packaging pages to send to one outlet at a time. Next was the wait of six months before the rejection
On the Blog Changing Aging Jeanette Leardi wrote a very thoughtful entry on resolutions and listed four she hopes to keep in 2015. “I promised to try, as often as possible, to 1) create something, 2) maintain something, 3) repair something, and 4) let go of something.” As I thought about my
A highlight of recent weeks was going to see MockingJay Pt 1 with my granddaughter and prepping by rewatching Catching Fire the night before. Last summer we saw Divergent twice. Of course, it’s a great way to spend time (and money) with a grandchild but also gives us a chance to hash
Betty, of Escape from Assisted Living, and her friends hope you’ll join their conversations at the senior center. Today they’re talking about turning 60. Huff Post 50 (May 27) suggests “60 Perfect Reasons You should be Psyched about Turning 60.” For example: “You are okay spending time alone . . .You get