My blog

I remember when it became apparent I could no longer eat gluten: spring of 2014. My book had just come out and every time I went to a new book tour stop, I got violently ill. At first I thought I [...]

I love clever ideas, and if they’re bookish to boot, they make me really happy. So I was delighted to discover Blind Date with a Book, which gives you the blind date experience… with [...]

Perhaps one of the best things about the internet is how democratizing it is and how it helps us discover things without having to go through gate keepers. I discovered one such gem on Instagram [...]

Hi, loves! I’m experimenting with a new video-producing app called Splice. What better material than my super-fun zip lining pictures and video? I still have to figure out music for the [...]

I don’t jump into things. I haven’t jumped into a pool since the Reagan Administration. I used to love counting how many steps I could clear on my best friend’s stoop, climbing [...]

I missed you! Did you miss me? I had an absolutely amazing time on my beach vacation. Didja notice I was gone? Apologies, but I know you’ll understand when I tell you that I had a [...]

There’s a thing on Amazon called “Author Central” where you can check the sales of your book. It is an evil and soul-sucking place, but, like most evil and soul-sucking places, [...]

Okay, I promise you I have a busy life and lots of things to do, but, yes, I did just spend an hour playing with a panorama app for Instagram. For a long time I’d been wondering how the [...]

I know all the best people! One of the coolest things about being a writer is getting to know other writers and having a chance to get a sneak peek at their books before they officially hit the [...]

Okay, so I’m not proud of this, but here it is: my new obsession is American Ninja Warrior. Yes, it’s cheesy as heck. Yes, the title makes no sense. But there’s something [...]

I like to find ways to reconnect with goodness. This summer has been so peaceful and filled with love for me that I wanted to find a way to pass on the simple joy I’ve been feeling. [...]

These are what can rightly be called dog days of summer. In my part of the world, it’s “inside-the-oven” hot and muggy as heck. My garden is showing some signs of deep sighing. [...]

Oh, the things we do for dating profile pictures. That said, I couldn’t have placed that ray of sun in just the right spot any better if I’d tried. Men are visual, and so many crave [...]

It’s been years and eons of sitting at the computer and the phone and now it’s done… this marks my 1,000th post! If you’ve noticed that I’ve stepped up the pace of [...]

There’s an intersection near the center of my town where I’m always glad to get stuck by a red light. It’s unremarkable, near a park, but by its more unlovely entrance, on flat [...]

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary. (Or… it would have been, had we not stopped counting). I totally forgot until this morning when I checked the date to see how many days are left until [...]

Scouring the internet for corny quotes to print out and tack to my bulletin board, I came upon this decidedly uncorny but very wise quote. For those of you looking for quotes about letting go, [...]

If Dawn dish detergent is strong enough to wash petroleum off birds, should I really be putting it on my hands? If we “build that wall,” will it be high enough to keep out airplanes? [...]

Okay, okay, so I know I said I swore off men. And I kinda sorta meant it at the time. I kinda sorta mean it even now. I’m busy, and I don’t need headaches. But, well, I’m a [...]

Just about every weekend, I go walking with my mom in a small nature preserve in the next town over from mine. After that, we drive by what for years I’ve called “my house.” Not [...]

I have long been committed to living as healthy a lifestyle as possible, preferring to prevent illness with good nutrition and exercise rather than cure it with drugs. I firmly believe that [...]

The first time I realized the Clinton campaign was using Sara Bareilles’ “Brave” as a campaign theme, I thrilled everywhere. (It’s the “I wanna see you be [...]

First, the good news in this piece. I love that there are still words I don’t know. I was reading a New York Times piece this morning, and it mentioned “imprecations.” [...]

Today’s post is not by me, but about me. Yesterday my brother sent me this link of a piece he wrote about a conversation we had when he was little, about twenty-five years ago. That he [...]

The other day I got it in my head I needed every chef’s knife in my kitchen sharpened. For reasons I won’t try to explain (mostly because there are no good ones), I have a [...]

The choice of first, second or third person is key when framing a new project. How do you decide? Here are my thoughts. All my written novels, including my published one, are in first person [...]

I love what Hillary Clinton represents, and I very much want her to be president, but it always makes me uneasy to see Bill Clinton speaking on her behalf. Because the elephant in the room is [...]

Honesty is not always easy. I was reminded of this the other day when my brother talked to me about a question he asked me when he was little. The question was, “Is there a heaven?” [...]

Everything I’ve ever known is a lie. I was listening to Simon and Garfunkle’s “The Boxer” to get myself in that early 70s mood for a scene I was writing. I followed along [...]

“I have a sunburn,” says my daughter, calling me after getting home for the night near a beach far, far away. “Didn’t Daddy remind you to put on sunscreen?” I nag. I [...]