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

DON’T MESS WITH GOOGLE Tuesday, my computer guru dropped by to exchange my ergonomic keyboard for an old fashioned one. He’d decided my fancy device was causing me problems. In his mind, the best fix was to take me a step backward, electronically. I admit I have difficulty with al