New Year. For Real
Now that the confetti and pine needles have been cleared… Now that the flurry of holidays and celebrations seems long ago… Now that all those good intentions and certain promises no longer compel or inspire… Now what? I love the momentum of a new calendar page or ritual to inspire the changes I know I should…
Book Covers, Yoga Pants, and Lipstick
I spend many days dressed very casually. Life gets lived in that uniform -grocery shopping, banking, and any other obligation of adulthood. When I’m really lucky, it’s pajamas and slippers all day. Then, other than an occasional from-the-neck-up video call, my daughter’s the only one to be graced with that particular sight. Regularly, I also…
Rollercoasters and the Lake
I had two books come out this week. To say it’s been a wild ride should win some sort of award as understatement of the millennium. A couple of my early reviewers mentioned that it was like a roller coaster ride. I liked it, considering that was exactly the effect I was trying to…
The Same. And Different.
I uttered two words yesterday that startled me as they came out of my mouth. “Bundle up.” The temperatures have dropped enough that I needed to suggest an extra layer on an afternoon walk. Sure, that layer was only a light sweatshirt. And it’s still sunny and bright and beautiful. (Which is infinitely…
Slippery Walls and a Comfy Seat
Sometimes it feels as if I am at the bottom of a well with slippery walls. It’s rarely as bad as it sounds. Or bad at all. My writer’s cave feels like this, a combination of must and should and just can’t not. I love being in it. So much so that I…
Feedback. And Vomiting.
Feedback can be a lot like vomiting. That image comes to me as my days fill with critique, both giving and receiving. I’m helping several people with their artistic works in progress as well as working with responses on my own project. I had to tell one person that it felt like she…
Summer Reading
It’s been a lovely summer, hasn’t it? In case you think I’ve sent out this email six months too late, in New Jersey it’s been hard to remember that it’s still February. Basking in the warm weather, I’ve been thinking about long days, the sounds of the ocean, and a good, juicy book. In honor…
Shattering Limits
Dearest One, I wrote a book in 12 days. Not a skimpy, pamphlet-like self-help book, but a start-to-finish novel of 288 pages (for the writing inclined – 62,000 words) with a spine-tingling connection to the characters in my previous novel. The story came to me in a series of dreams. Out of nowhere. During a…
Forgetting My Words
Dearest Friend, Let me tell you about the time I lost my mind. To tell you the truth, it happens all the time. My highly successful selective amnesia has erased the painful peaks of heartbreak, childbirth, and too many martinis, leaving only benign flatlands that are much easier to navigate. Multiple times a…
A Curious Case of Writer’s Block
I’ve never had writer’s block. In fact, I categorized it with the many things I don’t believe in at all (e.g. Easter bunny, moon landing, terrible two’s, etc…). Two months ago I made a public declaration (as a requirement for the upcoming completion of my Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology) that I would (FINALLY!) complete…