a writer’s life
raining meerkats and dogs
Because it’s World Meerkat Day, I thought it would be fun to take another look (up!) at this post from awhile ago about my life as a meerkat. What can I say? When it rains, it pours. If you’re familiar with meerkats, you know that they are adorable-looking creatures, with patches around their eyes, known […]
write the joy. again.
I originally wrote a version of this post a few years ago; recently, in looking back at all 12 years (already?) of my blog posts, it really jumped out and resonated with me. I wrote it, back then, to explain one of the reasons (the best reason, I think) for why I write – a […]
my life as a meerkat
If you’re familiar with meerkats, you know that they are adorable-looking creatures, with patches around their eyes, known for standing up on their hind legs a lot of the time and always focused on what’s above them. (Google them – they’re cute.) Like skinny little sentries, they stand guard for their friends and themselves, always […]
there’s a name for that
When it comes to naming, I’ve done my share. As a professional copywriter, with a career spanning 40+ years, I’ve had the chance to name all kinds of products as part of my job – beauty treatments, sandwiches, cocktails, opening-night events, nail polish colors, pet-food flavors, desserts, children’s toys, blue-plate specials, bank products, games. Name […]
she sells seashells
Many of you may know of my enchantment with mermaids and how they are the inspiration for my first novel, The Mermaid Mahjong Circle. What I have not shared previously, though, is this account from my childhood that, along with a myriad of storybooks and their illustrations, has made mermaids forever magic to me. Living […]
read my mind
Writers are given tons of advice on, well, how to write. Write something every day, we’re told (does my Target shopping list count?); keep plenty of pencils handy for comments, edits, and notations that come to you in the middle of the night (how about for putting my hair up in a bun because it […]
study hall
Because teaching is one of the world’s most noble professions, to limit appreciation of teachers to just one week seems not enough. That having been said, given that we are in the midst of Teacher Appreciation Week, I am presented with the perfect opportunity to express my admiration for those teachers who have made much […]
right time, right place
What does it mean when a place calls to you? That it’s where you were born and have your roots, and where you always feel at home and need to return? That it’s where you met the most-loved person or people in your life and constantly feel that bond pulling you back? Or that it’s […]
block party
Sure, it’s all fun and games until the inevitable happens – that oft-told, sad-but-true, you-know-it-when-it-hits-you case of writer’s block. There you are (or, actually, I am), weaving a tale, telling a story, thinking that you’ve got all your ducks in a neat little row when one tiny duckling refuses to move out of the way. […]
tell me a story
Decades before the advent of “Take Our Daughters to Work Day,” my father would take the little-girl me to work with him on occasion. And what occasions they were. This was back in the 1960s, and my dad was a film editor working at a post-production company and editing TV commercials. These were the Mad […]
rice on your head 