Here’s true crazy-making: I am now in Zen mode when I pass the NO DOGS ON THE BEACH person; I’m in a bubble of self-containment and peace. But this morning at 6:00 am she’s walking with our mutual friend. I intend to call out a cheery hello to the mutual friend and keep going, but…
Originally – in a long past post – I referred to her as the Beach Witch but the gloves are off now. This is the woman who, if you’re happily walking your beloved dog on the Santa Monica bike path around 6:00 am, will snarl, “No dogs on the beach!” I’ve tried many approaches to…
You may think that as soon as the baby is weaned or goes to first grade or leaves for college or when you retire or when things in general calm down, you’ll start writing. Or you’ll finish the book, or self-publish it, or whatever you’re waiting around for. I’m here to tell you it never…
I drew a line in the sand at Twitter. I was not going to twit or tweet or any of it. I finally caught on to Facebook (and heaven help me I really like it) but Twitter? No way. However the Marketing Whore has another book coming out next month, so….what can I say? Please…
Life is so funny and connected sometimes. Right after I did the last post about my refrigerator (and the photo was not mine by the way, but off Google Images) – I was actually driving to the market, finally, and on NPR I hear Lynne Rossetto Kasper interviewing a photographer on her cooking show, The…
To my female readers: Sixteen years ago on Valentine's Day I learned I had breast cancer. It was exactly six months before my second wedding and I was worried that: A. I might not be around for my wedding, and B. if I was around, I'd be bald with no eyelashes. I was one of…
A few days ago i read the review of Why We Write by David Ulin in the L. A. Times – and the review was so interesting that I immediately sent him an email to tell him I was ordering the book cause of what he wrote. It just arrived and now all I want…
Here's the beautiful cover New World Library is giving my next book, Kicking in the Wall. It's coming out in May. Right now I'm going over the final edits for the manuscript and they've done such a good job on it that there's not a whole lot to do. It all looks so easy at…
We went to the opening reception for our friend Charlie Kaplan's sculpture exhibit Saturday night. Little white gloves were handed out so everyone could touch the pieces, which added a whole other dimension of appreciation. We'd seen Charlie's sculptures before of course but never all in the same space, and all that art and talent and…
Here's a excerpt from an email I just got from my friend Carol Perkins who always sends me interesting information and introductions to writers I don't know about: * * * Have you read/are you familiar with the Irish writer/journalist Nuala O'Faolain? Her memoirs in particular: "Are You Somebody?", "My Dream of You,"…
