Is Your Writer Self Lonely, Frustrated, and Overwhelmed? Does it feel as if the demands of daily life keep pulling you away from your writing? You have to be a perfect parent, […]
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Discovering My Name, Finding Myself
By Ann LaBar As some romance authors write under a pseudonym, it can be one of those things a writer feels a need to choose before she can even begin writing. There […]
Literary Anti-heroes: Underground Man and Me
Underground Man might be the most miserable character ever to appear in literature. He’s the kind of character you love to hate and hate to love. He’s a spiteful clown, a thorn […]
How to Quit Your Writing Addiction for Good
Back in 2013 when it first came out, I went with my husband Alby and our friends Jeff, Rose, and Ron to see Twenty Feet from Stardom at Tampa Theatre. Two things […]
Your Guide to Your Frustration
It started in the afternoon around three — a meltdown. Frustrated tears turned into gritting teeth, growling, and finally laying face down in the living room. Mini episodes went on until 9 […]
It’s About Time or How to Stop Snacking
Did you know that Turkish Coffee made with Splenda is zero WW points? Using Splenda instead of sugar to make the perfect ‘mazboot’ (medium sweet) is also potential grounds for divorce from […]
Literary Foremothers: Emily Dickinson and Me
So many writers have responded to the poems and person of Emily Dickinson that it seems extravagant, even self-indulgent, to add another word. Adrienne Rich, in her eloquent essay, “Vesuvius at Home: […]
An Insider Guide to Cozy Mysteries for Real Dog People
Not too long ago, I began writing a psychological mystery about an internet-famous dog trainer who does public performances (think Super Collies). Then, at a mystery writers’ conference, an editor begged me […]
Replacement Silverware and the Chuck Norris Effect
I acquired my all-time favorite silverware inadvertently. I was looking for Christmas gifts in T.J. Maxx and perusing the home wares aisles. This was back in 1995, and I was shopping for […]
Don’t Look Back
There was once a time when I did not live without the specter of illness around every corner? I lived a life that wasn’t conditional on the spread of a virus? I spent almost five decades making plans that weren’t likely to be cancelled anywhere, any time, with little notice, because of a nasal-swabbed test result? Could it be true?
The Gloria Sirens 