Let’s Talk About Sex
Years ago, my husband informed his aunt that I’d written a novel. “Does it have sex in it?” She asked. “People like to read about sex.” His aunt was right of course. Many readers do like to read about sex. Today, thanks to self-publishing and e-books, readers have a wide range of choices that run […]
Bittersweet Endings: What Happens to the Characters When You Finish Your Novel ?
After eight years, I’ve finally finished the third book in my trilogy. Because I like a challenge, I accidentally on purpose stuck writing another novel in the middle of what was already a long process – nevertheless, a first draft of Book 3 is safely tucked in a file folder on my desk, as I […]
More On Music
Grant Lee Buffalo: I’m in Love with a Band that Broke up 20 Years Ago I want you to meet my new love interests: Grant Lee Buffalo. Too bad the band is from twenty years ago. What happened? How did I only now stumble on to the melancholy genius of these guys? No explanation. Thank […]
Why I Love New Orleans
I miss New Orleans. I was there last March and arrived back home in San Francisco just as the Shelter in Place (SIP) was about to be issued. It was surreal to go from a place full of people to a city emptied out overnight. Of course New Orleans soon had its own shutdown, but […]
Does the Tattoo Change the Woman?
I waited a long time to get a tattoo. I put it off for twenty years while I fretted that it would give people the wrong impression about me as I started my public relations firm. Then I was worried it would somehow damage my credibility when I became a mother. But I never lost […]
Playlists Are the Characters
Music has always been an important part of my life. I have memories of listening to Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan as a kid, and then as a teenager experimenting with everything from Japan to Aerosmith as I explored music and self-identity. As a writer, I’ve used playlists as a way to inspire myself and […]
Witches
Witch: 1. A person, esp. A woman, who professes or is supposed to practice magic, esp. Black magic; sorceress. 2. Slang. An ugly or malignant woman; hag. 3. A person who uses a divining rod. 4. To affect by or as by witchcraft; bewitch; charm. Witch is a complicated word. At its worst, throughout history […]
New Orleans and its binding spell….
Walking through New Orleans last week, my mouth curled up into a little smirk. One stroll down Esplanade Ave, it’s lush trees and vines glowing in the pale light of an autumn moon, and I understood why so many writers called this place home, or want to.
Don’t Judge A Book By Its Genre
Have you heard this one? A witch and a vampire walk into a bar and have a drink. They fall in love, but are forbidden to have a relationship. A conflict ensues and they spend the next three books trying to overcome prejudice, political malice, and murderous behavior. How would you describe that book to […]
Kings, queens and jacks
I’m often asked, “Why ‘Woman King’ and not ‘Queen’?” The answer is that a woman king is something altogether different from a queen.