Patrick Bateman (3) v. Christian Grey (6) Why get involved with a sadistic guy? Why indeed! The simple truth is that many women are drawn to dangerous men, whether by design or happenstance. Chances are (assuming you date men) that you’ve dated a guy you probably shouldn’t have even shared a drink with, let alone …
Sherlock Holmes (2) v. Spenser (7) The playoffs continue as the second round starts to take shape. Up for their first bout? Detectives. As much as I like mysteries, I have to admit the pickings are slim among the gumshoes, PIs and off-duty detectives. They all seem to have more issues than members of a …
This month’s book is one that is close to me personally on a couple of levels. Admission is the story of a Princeton Admissions officer who hits a midlife crisis (as many women in their 40s do, when we wake up and realize that all we hoped to achieve actually wasn’t promised to us). It …
As I round out April, I have to admit a serious ambivalence to the month that has passed. I blame some of this on the weather (which is dumb, I know) and much of the rest on a mixed bag of news and no news (pitching a book is a lot of sitting around and …
By the time my grandmother was my age, she had no teeth. I mean, I’m guessing. I remember the horrors of being a child in my grandparents’ home in western Illinois. They were, so, well, old! They kept their teeth in these weird containers, like a snow globe you dare not shake. In fact, I …
With great power comes great responsibility. —Voltaire, by way of Stan Lee As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I spent much of the weekend locked away at the NYC Sheraton for the Writer’s Digest Conference East. There was a steady blend of pro-traditional publishing mixed with self-publishing advice. Interestingly, what I felt to …
Long blog post warning (hey, it’s been a week, so pour a cup of coffee and let’s catch up!). This past weekend, I went to my very first writers’ conference, Writer’s Digest Conference East (note: I don’t know how long the link will point to the conference, as it has already happened, so I apologize …
For the past 10 days, I’ve been overrun by children. Okay, well, it was only two of them. But I felt like my entire world was put in one of those salad spinners, only instead of water being wicked away from me, it was every semblance of a coherent thought. Don’t get me wrong, I …
I have had one of the least artistically productive weeks of my entire life. For whatever reason, I’ve been sluggish and sloth-like. Which truly isn’t me. I mentioned a few posts ago about developing affirmations; I almost wonder if this isn’t my body’s way of rebelling against positive thinking. I am completely devoid of energy …
I have a very good friend who is going through a rough patch. In short, her marriage has failed. Having been there and done that, I honestly feel her pain. Plus our exes are very similar in nature, so we’ve both dealt with a lot of the same issues. When it comes to coping, however, …
You know that whole “Bucket List” thing? It’s a “to do” list of life’s achievements to undertake before you die; all those things you want to make sure you do is on your Bucket List. And I’m pretty sure my mom has one. Last year she took a cruise. For three weeks. From Amsterdam to …
I don’t get approached as often as I once did, but for many years and every once in awhile now I am asked: “How do I get my child in television?” Sometimes “television” becomes “movies.” Rarer still is how to make it on Broadway. It seems that far too many parents want to see their …
For the first time since before Thanksgiving, I managed to make it over to the Farmers Market. I admit I was dreaming of a non-January selection when I came upon vendor after vendor peddling apples, onions and root vegetables. The first two months of the year are never my favorites, and the fresh options for …
I am moved beyond words (okay, not beyond, because here I sit typing words) that Debra from Mauldin Family 1 nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award! First off, I have to thank Debra for thinking of me; it means a lot, truly. Not just that she reads me and comments (thoughtfully, too!), but that …
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away… Yes, I did borrow that. However, once upon a time (okay, I borrowed that, as well), I got a degree in journalism. What is little known is that I had an extensive focus in photojournalism. However, I was never a great photojournalist. I was an …
Just in time for the holidays, my book finally came online. I purchased about 20 myself to give out as gifts and to use to pitch to local booksellers (not to mention reviewers). So, imagine my distress when I heard yesterday that there’s a duplicate paragraph in the “final” book. The only good thing about …
Here is where I’d be. This is Iceland in December. On the eve of my birthday, I went out hunting for the aurora borealis. We did see a flicker of green light, but I didn’t think my camera wasn’t strong enough to capture it. However, a fellow traveler with superior photographic experience and sensibility managed …
Cider is having a moment. Hard cider, that is. After the better part of a century’s neglect, Americans are rediscovering their roots and a cider tradition that dates back to the Founding Fathers. Among the flurry of apple-based activity are major developments among beverage industry giants, including MillerCoors’ February purchase of Crispin Cider Co., the …
Prince Andrei Bolonsky (2) v. Pierre Bazukhov (7) Oh, Russian literature. What most Americans know about War and Peace is that the book is really big, and if you’ve ever cracked it open, the names are horribly long. Russian is not easy to translate, which may be why so few Americans even attempt to read … Continue reading »
Mr. Darcy (1) v. Mr. Knightley (8) It is a truth universally acknowledged that no discussion about literary boyfriends could keep the elusive Mr. Darcy off the list. Whether you’ve read the book (I have, multiple times) or seen one of the various movies (Colin Firth’s Darcy arguably being the definitive model), Mr. Darcy is … Continue reading »
Aragorn (1) v. Howard Roark (8) When I showed my adult daughter my Literary Boyfriend Bracket, it was interesting to me where we disagreed on who would make the better boyfriend (or lesser of two evils, at the very least). However, there was no shaking my resolve as to who should win the battle rounds. … Continue reading »
Reblogged from Metro: Reddit’s Ask Reddit function often throws up some weird and wonderful questions – and equally interesting answers. This week Reddit users were asked: ‘Parents of Reddit, what is the creepiest thing your young child has ever said to you?’ Unsurprisingly there were an array of pretty terrifying responses, and we’ve rounded up … Continue reading »
I haven’t time to post my own thoughts on what happened in Boston yesterday, so I’m going to let a friend of mine take over this blog for a bit. Please read what she wrote, and I invite you to think deeply on her words. I truly believe in what she has said, and I … Continue reading »
This month I’m reading James Lasdun’s slight but powerful memoir, Give Me Everything You Have: On Being Stalked. I would love to be able to state exactly what this book is about, that it can be distilled down to a simple “cautionary tale.” In fact, it is that but so much more. Perhaps the book … Continue reading »
