On Animal Cruelty, Human Trauma, and Why I Hate Sarah McLachlan
Anybody who’s read this blog with any regularity probably already knows how much I love animals. My two pugs, who died over this past year, were my whole world and…
I Beat Myself Up—and I Like It
People who know me well often tell me that I can be a little too negative. They say I’m quick to spot even the slightest problem and call attention to…
In Praise of Routine
People are always telling me to break out of my “rut,” to mix things up, that there’s nothing to be gained from doing the same basic routine every day, week…
Caesar: In Memoriam
A year ago today, I had to say good-bye to my pug Caesar. He was almost 15 and had been suffering from crippling arthritis for years (not to mention he’d…
Point of View: Which One Is for You?
Point of View: Which One Is for You? This week’s Ask the Editor question comes from a high school friend of mine—and someone who’s a novelist in her own right—Janet…
The Joys of Poverty
I didn’t grow up poor. We weren’t rich, but we certainly weren’t poor, so even if I pouted at times (like, I imagine, most kids do), in reality, I rarely…
Three Different Ways to Get Your Book Published
Ways to Get Published Whenever we do live events, I get asked the same question over and over again. People ask, “How much do you charge to publish a book?”…
On Blue Herons and Mothers: In Memoriam
Every year on this date, through some bizarre miracle (or coincidence, depending on your attitude toward the unexplained), I seem to spot a great blue heron—that is, every year since…
On Groundhogs, Seasons, and the Power of Change
It’s Groundhog Day, and though I don’t necessarily trust the meteorological forecast of a large rodent, I imagine it can’t be much worse than the never-accurate predictions I get from…
You Need to Be a Reader First
Welcome to our first segment of Ask the Editor. Shooting live video is about the last thing on Earth that a painfully shy person like me wants to do, so…
Time Flies When You’re Having Fun
It’s the end of the first month of this “New Year” (which is no longer all that new) and I can’t help but wonder: Where DID the time go? I…
Yeah, I’m Bitter—So What?
People are always saying to let things go, to forgive (for yourself, if not for person who did something wrong). But there are some hurts that just can’t be forgiven.…
On Comfort Foods
I may be a little bit weird. I get that. I seem to be the only person in the world (except for people who love snow—yuck!) who actually likes this…
Hooray for Winter!
I love this time of year. I know, I know. Most people think I’m crazy. What’s to love about subzero temperatures, icy roads, and darkness setting in at 5:00 p.m.?…