Once, I was a king

This got me thinking about the strange juxapositions that we find ourselves in throughout the course of our lives, and perhaps even beyond them. How does this happen: in one moment, I’m a king, and in the next, I’m a parking lot.

Thinking Big

I know that as a writer, I’m not supposed to obsess about publishing. I’m supposed to put my head down and keep writing, and never to get discouraged when the rejection letters come.

you are unlimited

Last Friday night, for a minute, i died.

the smell of pumpkins, the sound of voices

Fall is a magical time for children and adults, with transforming leaves, cozy sweaters and hot cups of tea outside in the evening. Along the side of the road, the pumpkin patch calls, as do the apple trees, the carrots, and our small (but loyal) plot of potatoes. It is a time of harvest.

teaspoons of sugar

Oh glorious summer! You’re slipping away so quickly. Thanks for the great times, Summer, for keeping the sun worshiping, south shore ocean dipping, lobster cracking, oyster shucking soul in me forever blessed by your sandy toes and your smoky barbeques.

City of Ghosts

Ghosts. They really catches up with us up by times. Our ghosts, they haunt us, they  involve us, and they embrace us. Usually we go to them.

journey through middle earth

Where to begin? Let’s see, Beijing. Where Leila and I left off. When I told people I was headed to Xuchang, in Henan province where my husband Mitch was teaching, I was mostly met with puzzled shakes of the head  -not a first for me in China – and wandering upward glances. First they would repeat it, then I would repeat it.  Had I said it right? Had they heard me right? Welcome to China: so many opportunities to go wrong – before the one that may go just right.

 Where the f@&! is Xuchang?

querying: finding light in the dark ages

So i’ve ripped and i’ve torn it , shaped it and , formed it ~ and for the moment, I’ve  finished my memoir.

Whew!  Twenty months of writing, eight months of revising and a pile of edits and rewrites have finally gotten me to this most critical stage: Querying.

Dear Dialogue,

Dialogue, I have asked for you, and I have received in a powerful way. I’m so sorry that I doubted you, Dialogue, that I never enjoyed writing you. It’s just that in my writing I’ve never needed you, except maybe once in my short “Mannequin Party” from grade eight, which I must, Dialogue, I must […]

Running towards the Sparks

Here I am, deep into the fires of  …. REVISIONS. Although last week I was somewhat confused, agitated, and anxious, I have since started writing and I’m now looking forward to the deeply cathartic, deeply grounding experience that is the rewrite of this beautiful book. The momentum is high. Everything I do, everything I think […]