I can’t decide which makes me feel more anxious—receiving accolades for my work, or heavy doses of rejection and harsh criticism. I was reminded of my ability to make myself miserable either way this past week. In the accolades department, I learned that my novel, DEADLY SETUP, received the NYC Book Big Award in the…
Read MoreLately, I’ve been thinking a lot about gender issues. My Smith College alumnae discussion group has decided to discuss what our perceptions of our roles as women were when we were undergraduates all those decades ago, and how things have changed (or not) in our lives and the lives of succeeding generations of women. Of…
Read MoreLate Thursday afternoon, I typed “The End” on my first draft of my work-in-progress, tentatively called Missing Mom. To tell you a little about what has preoccupied me all these months, the novel centers around Noelle, a rising high school senior and aspiring ballet dancer whose mom suddenly vanishes. While the circumstantial evidence points to…
Read MoreDuring the years I taught English composition at a local university, I frequently gave my students writing prompts. The prompts were never about grades or finished products. They were all about getting creative juices going and developing the habit of writing. Wanting to model the value of writing practice, I always worked on the prompts…
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