I love to be involved in interviews. I have friends who hate to be subjected to the “dreaded” author interview. Not me: no question is too weird, too off topic or bizarre. It’s most likely because I’m Irish: we have an opinion about everything, will discuss anything, and we never meet a stranger who we …
What happens when 350 people, predominantly women, truck in from all across the U.S. to spend three full days laughing (and a little crying), eating (mostly desserts), and baring their souls to each other? Magic. In a place called Dayton. That’s not a punchline. Last week, the tribe of Erma gathered once again for the …
Spring 2016 has started to arrive and I believe I speak for many of us when I give a big ‘ol “Halleluiah!” shout out. This Florida Girl is not a fan of Old Man Winter here in VA. I become downright morose each February when I begin to feel as though I haven’t been warm …
It’s become a time honored tradition, up here in the Middle-Aged Cheap Seats, to kick up our feet toward the end of every February, cocktail in one hand and popcorn in the other, and tune in for a favorite annual event: the Academy Awards, or as they are also known as, The Oscars. I host …
It will come as a surprise to few that I’m not a big fan of winter. This Florida gal just doesn’t have the chops to hang out in the snow. I moved to Virginia in 1995 and 8 months out of the year I love being a Virginian. But from December through March, Mother Nature …
Why someone puts pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard is an extraordinarily personal matter. If you ask ten people why do you write?, you’re likely to get ten very different answers. Because I write mostly creative nonfiction, my writing is particularly personal. I’ve often been asked: why do you share such intimate details of …
Oh, we Irish do love our toasts. We never miss an opportunity to wax poetic about the past, the here and now, and the future. Especially this week, as we welcome 2016, I’m reviewing my repertoire of go-to ditties. I thought I’d share a few of my favorites, just in case you find yourself in …
Do New Year’s resolutions work for you? Nope? Me neither. My ever-present dedication to lose ten lbs, eat less junk food, exercise more, floss daily, and stay out of the sunshine unless I’m wearing SPF1000 sunscreen, somehow always seems to go by the wayside by no later than February 1st. Therefore, for 2016, I’m trying a …
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 …
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the cost of things. Why? Because my first book, I Was In Love With a Short Man Once is currently free (FREE!) as a Kindle download through Friday, November 13th. No strings attached, just a little gift. Of course, I’m hoping for some honest reviews from you nice people, but …