In the beginning of The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead, I found the book a bit off-putting. The author drops the reader into the middle of a scene with no hand holds or explanations. Our protagonist is Lila Mae Watson, an elevator inspector in an unnamed city with lots of big buildings. But Whitehead doesn’t introduce us to … Continue reading Book Review: The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
About three quarters of the way through Tommy Orange’s There There, on the day of the culminating Big Oakland Pow Wow, it occurred to me that this plot structure was a bit like some potboilers I read way back in the 60s when I wanted to read grown-up books, so I borrowed a few of … Continue reading Book Review: There There by Tommy Orange
Before paper, everyone spoke in rhyme or else you’d forget what was on your grocery list. You’d go out to buy a hat and be forced to buy food for a cat, even though you only had a pet mouse to keep you company in your house. Before paper, babies were given very short names … Continue reading Before Paper
Written with my Thursday night group. The prompt was “the wind has to stop!” But I interpreted it a bit differently. The wind has two stops. It curls down Alhambra Boulevard and stops near the corner of 29thand R Streets. It greets the people waiting at the light rail station with the scent of the river, … Continue reading The Wind
Hey, I just found this in my journal. I remember writing it, but I don't remember when. Guess it's time to set it free. It's a bit of Matrix thinking! If I had it to do all over again, maybe I’d take the blue pill; I’d choose the illusion. I’ll get a job in a … Continue reading If I had to do it over again. . .
Join me to celebrate the launch of my latest novel Ghost Owl at a book-signing party next Thursday evening, November 2nd from 5:30 to 8:30 at Hoppy Brewing Company 6300 Folsom Blvd. in Sacramento, California Free appetizers No host bar Ghost Owl is the 3rd book in my Avian Series, preceded by Yellow-Billed Magpie and … Continue reading Living The Dream
I have not been the most consistent blogger in the world. If there’s anyone out there paying attention this is not such a big surprise. My last post was over a year ago. In that episode, I announced that my poor old sweet-faced kitty Angel was dying of cancer. I got all philosophical and weepy … Continue reading Greetings Blogosphere!
Since I published my first novel, several people have told me they’d also like to publish a novel or memoir. I think this is great, but in some cases it’s surprised me because I didn’t know these folks were interested in writing. Maybe--in some cases--they didn’t know it either. If there’s anybody out there … Continue reading Are you making a resolution to write?
Now that the Yellow-Billed Magpie Launch Party is successfully behind me, my new novel is going on a virtual tour! Laura Fabiani, the wonderful tour coordinator at iRead Book Tours, has arranged for Yellow-Billed Magpie to make appearances on seventeen blogs in three different countries during the month of October. Fourteen bloggers will post reviews … Continue reading Yellow-Billed Magpie Goes on Tour!
We’re celebrating a rare and wonderful rainy day here in parched Northern California—complete with deliciously heavy downpours, lentil-sized hail, lightning and big time thunder. I was blessed this afternoon to get home before the big show started, but here’s a journal piece I wrote after driving home in a powerful rain last fall—back when we … Continue reading Celebrating the Rain
