Yep, I know how all this works. I’m a big girl, and every time I put my stuff out into the world, I hitch up my big girl panties and prepare for the occasional troll. The sad but all-too-true fact is that being trolled comes with the territory of today’s writing scene. Image provided courtesy of Pexel.com - https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-clothes-line-trousers-past-54611/ CC0 license, free for personal and commercial use. In an odd way, to be trolled is a kind of badge of honor. … [Read more...]
The View from the Sidelines Is A Changin
The running back weaves across the field with the football pinned securely in his right side. He dodges past a not-quite-fast-enough outside linebacker and streaks down the edge of the sideline toward the end zone. 10… 5… the ref throws his arms straight up toward the sky as the runner crosses the goal line. TOUCHDOWN! What’s particularly remarkable and wonderful about this upcoming fall weekend tradition? That ref could be a woman. The football field has conventionally not been a … [Read more...]
The Best Pals Are Gal Pals
I’ve often been called a “guy’s gal.” This is usually – I think– meant as a compliment. There are some stereotypical masculine pursuits that I do enjoy and which often lead me to rattling around in the boys’ club house. For example, I LOVE football. I’ve followed the Dolphins since 1972 and, as many of you know, I am a “somewhat” crazed FSU fan – GO NOLES! I can fish, tell jokes (yes, especially dirty ones), and have been known to go shot for shot with the gentlemen at the bar. I have yet to … [Read more...]
How I Found My Midlife Tribe
This week, I did something I’ve been waiting to do since April 13th, 2014: I registered for the 2016 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop (EBWW). EBWW only happens every other year and when the last one ended in 2014, I knew I would be going back in 2016. Why? Because in 2014 I found my tribe of funny, big-hearted, midlife women. And in midlife, it can be tough to find your peeps. In your earlier years, life readily presents opportunities for tribe building. For example, high school, for all its … [Read more...]
Stray Dogs & Ugly Pumpkins
(Because I'm traveling this week, I"m featuring one of my favorite previous posts - updated just a bit.) I love Fall. Cooler weather, colorful leaves, and the first fire in the fireplace all make me happy. One of my favorite Fall rituals: local harvest festivals. I’m a sucker for bales of hay, tractor rides, and apple cider. Perhaps this is my preferred time of year because I grew up in Florida, where there are only two seasons: tourist and hurricane. At a local fall festival last weekend … [Read more...]
We Interrupt This Blog
We interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post to make an important announcement: The 2nd edition of I Was In Love With a Short Man Once will be released by Booktrope Publishing on June 23rd! Cover design by Lizzie Russell, www.lizzierussellcreative.com WOO HOO! To celebrate, let’s play a game of twenty questions. Here we go: 1. What inspired you to write this book? My nana’s apple pie recipe. Nana made the best apple pies, but she never wrote down the recipe. Now she’s gone and no … [Read more...]
Stray Dogs and Ugly Pumpkins
I love Fall. Cooler weather, colorful leaves, and the first fire in the fireplace all make me happy. One of my favorite fall rituals: local harvest festivals. I’m a sucker for bales of hay, tractor rides, and apple cider. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Florida where there are only two seasons: tourist and hurricane. At a local fall festival last weekend I was searching through the pumpkin patch, looking for the ugliest pumpkin I could find. My gal pal Kathi laughed at this – “Why the … [Read more...]
A Bend in the Road
One of the benefits of hanging out in the middle-aged cheap seats is that you can glance up into the rearview mirror every once in awhile and contemplate where your life has taken an unexpected turn. I recently took a trip back to my college alma mater: Florida State (GO NOLES!). That weekend spent in Tallahassee has had me thinking about all the times over these past years when the decision to turn left or right; to move forward or to stay put; has had lasting consequences. There have been … [Read more...]
