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
I write about all the crap floating around inside my brain, the ghosts of school bullies and nuns in black habits, wielding rulers and sharp tongues. I write about my favorite teachers from high school when the nuns abandoned their veils and wore peasant blouses and sandals and read Kahlil Gibran to us in religion … Continue reading What do you write about?
