I joined a writers group, thinking I'd meet critique partners, sell my novels from the group's table at area farmers markets, and be...

I'm an author. I write and sell books. One of the tenets of marketing your books is not to take political stands, for fear you will...

The Hubster and I are watching the "Atlantic Crossing" series on Masterpiece, a historical drama about an apparent romance between FDR...

My husband and I are fulfilling a bucket list dream of moving to the Big Island of Hawaii. According to plans, we will arrive Oct. 23....

Editor's Note: This article was originally written in 2019, and edited again on Feb. 7, 2022, to update some missing links. Hopefully,...

Conversation starter: the letter to Joe Biden from 100 black "leaders," telling Biden that he must choose a Black VP or he'll lose the...

In Austin, a species of scarab beetle, a.k.a., the June bug, arrives in March and April. This specimen is Phyllophaga hirtiventris, a...

While you are self-quarantined: My husband Bill and I were late to the barn dance on this PBS documentary, but we sure enjoyed Ken...

A former colleague and friend—or so I thought—got pissed and de-friended me on Facebook because I said something she didn’t like. Aren’t...

About a year ago, I started ordering delivery from Randall's, a grocery chain in Austin affiliated with Safeway. I have a Randall's...

March 11, 2019 Wow. I googled my author name today and found some stuff I thought had been deleted. Also, I found a thing that teed...

February 22, 2019 I wasn't chosen to present at the Academy Awards, so I'm presenting The Spammer Awards instead. I got a spam letter via...

January 31, 2019 Reviews and ratings are an author's lifeblood. We try hard to write stories that rate at least a good four stars, and we...

October 20, 2018 I’ve just begun querying literary agents for my third novel Backstory. It’s literary suspense, I'm told. These days,...

September 13, 2018 In August, the Hubster and I took Amtrak from Austin to Chicago -- first time for this sort of journey. Sure, we'd...

May 3, 2018 I've not blogged since December due to a painful and annoying bout of carpal tunnel syndrome that resulted in surgery and an...

November 13, 2017 Sports writers seem to have a tough time coming up with metaphors for female athletes. The "Ava Bell" mentioned in this...

October 16, 2017 The revelation about Harvey Weinstein begs the question of why it took so many years for women to come forward to say he...

June 4, 2017 I just saw an absolutely silly post on Facebook, a video showing a dachshund getting a massage. Seriously. Wiener dog...

May 10, 2017 I live in a small community that has a "social set" of sorts. The entire bunch reminds me of the citizenry of River City,...