I confess, I probably wouldn't have read Chuck Berry's autobiography had I not seen Bob Dylan reading it backstage. I immediately bought it and devoured it. Not long after, Berry played a club in New York City and I was asked to introduce him onstage … [Read more...]
Beating the Odds: Finding Love at Any Age
It was mid-January, 2014, still soon enough in the new year for the air to be charged with renewal and resolutions. My friend Rita had been in a long-term relationship with a wonderful man everyone adored. She adored him, too. But it had become more … [Read more...]
Behind NAKED DJ, the audiobook
I'm so thrilled Rachel Butera has been nominated for a SOVAS Voice Arts Awards for her narration of NAKED DJ, as have I for my narration of WHEN I MARRIED MY MOTHER. Known as "The Oscars of Voice Acting" it's indeed an honor. The awards … [Read more...]
Is Self-publishing Worth It?
I never dreamed in 2016 that I would see my little memoir's audiobook up there next to blockbuster ones on Audible's site. The hardcover version of When I Married My Mother (Da Capo Press) had been released in the spring of 2009, unintentionally … [Read more...]
Mother’s Day without Mama
This Mother's Day, 2016, marks the eleventh one without Mama Jo. It's always been tinged with sadness since her passing, but this one will be particularly hard. I recently completed reading and editing the audiobook of When I Married My Mother. I … [Read more...]
Q&A: Daniel De Vise on Andy Griffith, Don Knotts, Mayberry misfits and affairs, and unusual gifts from fans
On behalf of all of The Andy Griffith Show fans, I’d like to thank Daniel de Visé for writing Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show. It’s extremely well-researched and includes 35 great photographs. Not a surprise … [Read more...]
Q&A: Patricia Park on RE JANE, nunchi, and the danger of rewrites
I read Re Jane while I was in the midst of renovating a home while living over an hour away. I didn’t have much time for joy reading and my ability to concentrate was marginal. However, I couldn’t let go of this book. No matter how long it had been … [Read more...]
Q&A: Candace Bushnell on KILLING MONICA, what Hollywood needs to do, privacy, reinvention, Mom, and more
It's indeed a pleasure to welcome Candace Bushnell to my ongoing author Q&As. Ms. Bushnell, of Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle and The Carrie Diaries fame, talked … [Read more...]
Savory Smackdown
Does it ever seem like the Foodie Nation has gone cuckoo? You know, “Sand-blasted Galician shitake-nuanced gluten-free crostini made from stalactite flour grown on the moon.” What created this multi-layered/cultural obsession with food?, I asked … [Read more...]
Buried words of wisdom
I’m going through two trunks of stuff related to a documentary I once tried to make about my aunt, Julie Arden, and her companion Charlotte Brooks. I’m determined to whittle it down to one big box. It should be easy. Just don’t look too closely. … [Read more...]