SELLING PIECES OF MYSELF On Monday, I went to a bookstore that buys and sells used books. I wanted credit to apply toward a new purchase. It’s a simple commercial transaction but every time I do it I leave feeling uneasy. Some of the clerks behind the counter behave as though they a
THANK YOU MRS. ROOSEVELT Here’s a story every writer will marvel at and probably everyone else. It’s about a woman called Laura Munson and her struggle to become a published author. During the first twenty years of her career, she produced fourteen books and all of them were rejec
ONE GRAIN OF SAND AT A TIME I decided to buy a new book last week. I can afford the luxury because I don’t spend much on clothes, my mortgage is paid, I own my car and I’ve done most of the major repairs on the my 113 year old house – I hope. I won’t give away the title of the
HOLDEN CAULFIELD ALL OVER AGAIN I’m sure being a lighthouse keeper ranks right up there with being a shepherd on the list of the world’s loneliest jobs, but writing is probably in the top ten. Even when a writer is in a crowd, a part of his brain functions as an observer. After al
THOUGHTS ON AN ORDINARY LIFE Tuesday was one of those days when I felt I accomplished little. I’d risen early to squeeze in three hours of uninterrupted writing before my haircut appointment; but we all know what happens to best laid plans. A visitor dropped by to see how I was doin
THE ART OF SURVEYS I almost threw the envelope in the recycle bin as junk mail when my eyes fell across the return address: Arbitron Ratings Media Study. I recognized the name as the company that rates TV and radio programs based on audience surveys. I presumed one of those surveys wa
EVEN CONAN THE BARBARIAN HAD A MOTHER Last season, a friend recommended a TV series and out of respect for his opinion, I began watching. When a program is new, one should allow time for the actors to build a rapport with one another and for the writers to develop character. Over time
THE JOKE IS ON ME I got an e-mail from a friend last week that contained good news. She’d convinced her book club to read one of my novels, and she wanted to know where the members could find copies. I gave her the names of some outlets and later remembered the books left over from
BETTY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS I had coffee with a woman last week whose friendship I’ve enjoyed for years. Spending time with her is like playing in a room full of champagne bubbles. She makes me laugh and so it’s hard to believe that in a week she turns 80. Good genes are one
Hi Carol, Got your message of condolesences and thank you for the thought. I owned two cats before the doctor told me I was allergic, and despite his advice, I kept them until they both died when they reached sixteen. It was quite a wrench and though Mat/Bodacious was not mine in