Blog
The Story of the Stale Fortune Cookie
If you’ve ever been taunted by an unread fortune, you know the struggle.
Blogs and Spirit Animals
In the name of full disclosure, I don’t know the meaning of blog (noun or verb). Is it an article? Is it a dear diary situation? Without delving too deeply, it looks to be one more opportunity for me to run my mouth, and if that’s the case, I’m in. A few weekends...
Pumper Trucks and Publishers
Is it weird that I’m in New York City to introduce my book “Lily Barlow, The Mystery of Jane Dough” at Book Expo 2018, and the thing I’m most excited about right now is that there’s a concrete pumper truck parked outside my hotel? The pumper truck, as it represents...
Seven Tips for Finishing a Book
I always wanted to be a writer. Almost always. First, I wanted to be a painter, but that came to a quick and crashing halt when I discovered I has zero artistic ability and absolutely no desire to embark on any type of training. Then there was a short stint of wanting...
Tall Poppies (and Purple Carnations of Average Height)
My book comes out on December 4th, and the next step on the road to publication is apparently building a community. I remember when building a community involved family night supper at Carmel Presbyterian Church and a block party in the neighborhood. Now it’s all...
Mile 89
I'd like to talk about Mile 89. I guarantee you're familiar with this phenomenon, but since you may not have called it by this name, I'll explain. I ride bikes with a woman who's straight outta Long Island. She's brassy, cocky, funny, genuine, and she doesn't take any...
The Road to Reinvention
I used to be a school teacher. I loved teaching, and I still miss those shining silver moments when something amazing happened in the classroom. I have a thousand stories…like when one of my sixth graders impressed me with the quality of his handshake. “Nice,” I said....