Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I’ve written here but I’m returning to share a conversation I’ve been having with Kristen Tsetsi, author of The Age of the Child, a novel that got me off to a thoughtful start for the year. In her novel, Tsetsi asks a provocative question: what if those of us who want to … Read More
Unruly Women Deserve a Spine Poem
A spine poem for unruly women everywhere. Adventures in #spinepoetry in honor of #nationalpoetrymonth. Thanks and apologies to Jodi Paloni, So Say We All, Julia Dixon Evans Jennifer D. Corley.
Sunday Sentence: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
“He was the sort of fellow that kids laughed at and dogs wanted to bite.”-Carson McCullers, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter There are other, more poignant moments in this beautiful book but for some reason I this sentence grabbed me during a recent re-read. I know that sort of man. I know those kids. I felt a prickle of … Read More
Coming home for me, books for you
As you read this, I will be back in the springtime embrace of my old homes. All of them. I’m bringing Casualties to the places and people who launched me as a writer and fed my writing , my dreams, and the story itself — sometimes in surprising ways. I’ll be writing about that when it all has a chance … Read More
Sunday Sentence: Walden by Henry David Thoreau
“The hawk sat on a limb three feet above my head and did not stir as I walked under – that was the first sign.” – From Bill McKibben’s introduction to Walden by Henry David Thoreau This edition of Walden is a particular joy because of the spare, on-target interpretation of Bill McKibben. I bought this book as a companion … Read More
Sunday Sentence: Get in Trouble by Kelly Link
“What you deserve and what you can stand aren’t necessarily the same thing.” – Kelly Link, Get in Trouble The stories in this collection prove the power of simple sentences. When arranged in the right and sometimes unexpected ways, they offer a world that may look skewed on the outside but very familiar in the inside, where most of us … Read More
Sunday Sentence: Youngblood by Matt Gallagher
“I took in a deep breath of wet cigarette and watched the green camo nets ripple slowly with the wind, marking time.” – Matt Gallagher, Youngblood There are small stories in every sentence in this novel, just one of the reasons I slowed down as I neared the end. I didn’t want to finish so soon. I love reading them, … Read More
For You: A February Fiction Fest
I’ve been looking forward to this all month. After all the support you have given me, I get to offer a very special giveaway to a lucky reader. Beginning Monday, February 22, you can enter a drawing to win not one, but FIVE novels. Think about the alliterative possibilities here: Fine February Fiction From Five …Authors, okay, ran out of … Read More
Catching Days: A Guest Post and Goodbye
For fourteen years, this dog has witnessed every word I’ve written or struggled to write. When Cynthia Newberry Martin invited me to write about one of my days on her blog, Catching Days, Chloe guided me one last time, this time with her absence. I share it here in her honor. To read, click here.
Sunday Sentence: A Hard and Heavy Thing, Matthew Hefti
I love reading them, so I’ve joined the #SundaySentence party started by David Abrams over at the Quivering Pen and on Twitter. It’s not a review. It’s not a story. It’s just one sentence I read this week, presented “out of context and without commentary.” This week, I had to grab more than one sentence from Matthew Hefti’s A Hard … Read More