“I hit an animal last night.” I told Rita this as we drove up Lawndale toward Summerfield, just after we’d passed a small carcass on the side of the road. It was late, the street fairly empty, the air filled with the sweet sadness of a fleeting … [Read more...]
QUICKIE Q&A: JANIS OWENS, AUTHOR OF AMERICAN GHOST
I've been a fan of Janis Owens since we met at the Bookmarks Book Festival in 2009 -- and that was before I knew of the accolades Pat Conroy had bestowed upon her. Her new novel AMERICAN GHOST (Scribner, hardcover) is … [Read more...]
CUTE OR CREEPY? Mama Jo’s House of Dolls Captivates Media
Do you think dolls are cute or creepy? Most people fall in one camp or the other. Yet every culture has dolls. Why? My theory is they go back to when a cave woman made one to amuse her kid while she rubbed two sticks together to make a fire. Or … [Read more...]
A BURIED TREASURE, A NEW ADVENTURE
He almost went into the freebie pile. He stands 7 1/2 inches tall. I should say he measures that tall because he can't stand on his own. His clothes are moth-eaten. His feet look too wide and big for his short legs. Yet there was something about him … [Read more...]
On Writing – My Top 10 Tips
I took the long, scenic route to getting published. Fifteen years, seven other books, and four literary agents preceded the publication of When I Married My Mother. Whatever success my writing brings me is the result of working with … [Read more...]
QUICKIE Q&A: HOPE EDELMAN
Ever since I read Shirley MacLaine's 2001 book The Camino about her walking the Camino de Santiago - a 500-mile pilgrimage in northern Spain - alone when she was in her sixties, … [Read more...]
QUICKIE Q&A: JUNE GARDENS ON HER BLOG BYE BYE, PIE!
Oh, no. Bye Bye, Pie! is going buh-bye. In the past, I wasn’t much of a blog reader. I drifted in the internet tide, momentarily attaching myself to a social media site then floating wherever Google took me. One day my friend Kit Rodenbough told me … [Read more...]
QUICKIE Q&A: RANDY POE
Randy Poe is a Grammy-nominated record producer who has also produced, compiled, and/or written the liner notes for more than 100 albums. He’s won many awards and authored Squeeze My Lemon: A Collection of Classic Blues Lyrics and Skydog: The Duane … [Read more...]
QUICKIE Q&A: ELEANOR BROWN
I recently had the pleasure of hearing the vivacious Eleanor Brown speak to her Triad-based fans courtesy of the Bookmarks Book Festival (FYI: They have great literary events year-round, not just when the fest happens in September). Her present tour … [Read more...]
SURPRISE!
If you've ever been invited to a surprise party you know the stress of having to get there by a certain time. If you've ever hosted a surprise party you've done plenty of nail-biting worrying if guests will arrive before the guest of honor and keep … [Read more...]