Forts
Remember forts?
They turn any ordinary
day into a secret lair.
The constructing is fun
enough, but then you add
the sensation of crawling
inside and seeing that space,
that volume under the dipping
blankets and you have your
own magical realm. Writing
a novel is a lot like building a
fort and holing up inside.
It’s fragile, tippy, dark,
and a little too warm in there.
But it’s all yours.
Different Is Good
Some of us don’t particularly enjoy being noticed. We’d rather fit in. I just spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to find an outfit that would look acceptable for a business lunch in New York, and though I’m pleased with what I ordered, the process reminded me I don’t care to stand out for my clothes, either by looking too shoddy or too flashy. I don’t normally like standing out at all, in person. Fitting in is a gentle form of invisibility.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t get… Continue reading
Keeping It Real
I’m a writer, meaning I write every weekday and sometimes on weekends. I work on novels which tend to take a while to create. My latest first draft took 5 months to write, but before that, it took decades to figure out how to write a book. And will I ever publish my latest one? I don’t know. That doesn’t really matter.
Here’s what I want to say. I’m just one writer, and my truth may not apply to anyone else, but I’m going to keep on writing novels. I… Continue reading
Blank Page
We love a blank page, actually.
All that possibility can go
anywhere forward or back.
I once drank spiders under
the porch or they drank me.
Sandbox sunshine glittered far
from the school bullies.
My aunt’s willow tree hide-away
down by the stream was a house
I could not see from a distance
and did not care to visit. We
bring our childhoods with us
if we’re lucky or not, and fingers
that once learned to play
scales now type softly to
tinnitus in one ear.
Limbo Season
Most days, time does what you expect. It goes by in a predictable way, and you can count on it to link up with a pattern of meals and work and sleeping. Then we hit holidays with the family and all the sudden you’re up to watch Spidey at dawn or assembling a Cozy Coupe in the basement during dinner prep. A moment of a toddler calling “Nonna Nonna Nonna!” expands to fill a lifetime, and a big guy with an axe splits wood that flies across freezing air toward… Continue reading
Lucky Pumpkin
During a lovely visit with family this weekend, I had a chance to draw with my granddaughter. Usually she does her own artwork, but this time she dictated what I should draw for her, and then she added the pumpkin lines. Sweet, no? I love a gentle, bit-by-bit collaboration.
Weekends make me feel lucky. Time with family does, too. Writing has its challenges, but it usually allows me a healthy balance of work and life. When I dream, drive, chat with people I care about, take walks, do puzzles, and… Continue reading
Ari & Milo, my serial novel, is now up on Wattpad! I drew illustrations to go with each chapter, and best of all, it’s free! Because of problematic themes, this novel is for mature readers age 17+.
Book Trailer for Promised