I played with the first line, “Everyone hates a fat woman,” for a decade (and published four other novels) before writing Waisted. The scale-obsessed women screamed in my head, but I kept the words locked away. Because writing it meant facing myself. Writ honest, the novel would have to include tales of self-loathing, food needs so intense … Read more
For ten years, I co-led groups for violent men.* I sat in a circle with a (usually) male co-leader and anywhere from 8 to 18 men who’d been violent with their wives, girlfriends, dates, sisters, or another woman in their lives—sometimes a mother. Their violence ran from emotional abuse to the most devastating physical viciousness—from … Read more
My childhood clothes resembled the old Catskills joke about food: The food is terrible at this hotel—and the portions are way too small! My mother brought my sister and me to John’s Bargain Store for our clothes. Our clothes were ugly, and we didn’t have enough of them. Having a fashion sense is no easy task for … Read more
T’is the season to do a million things (good, great, exhausting, hair-pulling-annoying) but one I find the most relaxing is finding (and recommending) small shops, artists, and craftspeople. Below are some of my favorites cause I’ve already shopped with them, or ones I plan to recommend that my loved ones visit *for me*. BELMONT BOOKS … Read more
BUY NOW PEOPLE’s best new books September Indie Next pick 2015 Massachusetts Book Award: Must Read Fiction Kirkus Top Fiction 2014 CBS Radio “Best Summer Reads” Read an Excerpt View the Reader’s Guide Read the Backstory Foreign Editions Watch the Book Trailer Accidents of Marriage The story of a family on the edge… and how … Read more