Writerly Etiquette
As I waited for my first novel to launch, I was told by the experienced: 1) “Don’t expect to get on Oprah.” (I wasn’t.) 2) Waiting for launch was “the
April 27, 2015
Raised by Books
Perhaps every insatiable reader has a book so thoroughly imprinted at a vulnerable age, that they carry those characters like family of the heart forever. Some marked me for horror.
April 10, 2015
How To Use Critique & Advice
When it comes to criticism from my writer’s group, I need to hear or read the same idea two, three, or four times before I can incorporate it into my
March 15, 2015
Writer’s Groups: Don’t Drink and Read
“No child could possibly be happy about her father moving out!” The above was said to me at a writing workshop, in a discussion about my then unpublished novel (it
March 14, 2015
How Besteller Lists Are Made, Authors, & A Bit of Crazy
“My agent and editor started talking about ‘the list’ from the start, virtually ensuring that I’d consider myself a failure if I didn’t make it. At first, when they
March 11, 2015
Micro-Inequality: Why Review Equality Matters
The first time I looked for a job, Help Wanted was divided into three sections: Men, Women, and General. If memory serves me (I doubt it) men’s jobs were the
February 23, 2015
Words for Peace
“I speak not for myself but for those without voice… those who have fought for their rights… their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity,
December 24, 2014
A Furious Love
While readying to write about Professor Cromer Learns to Read, I searched for a quote or statistic that would put in perspective the overwhelming job families have caring for brain-injured
October 15, 2014
20 Fiction Techniques . . . Quickly
During my (self-guided, self-nagged) courses in my ‘Homemade MFA’ I did many things: I read stacks of books, I read multiple favorite novels with an analytical eye, I participated in
September 26, 2014
Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped the Frank Family By Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold
“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did or more—much more—during those dark and
September 15, 2014
Caution Around Tragedy
The trailer for Accidents of Marriage, releasing Sept. 2. Read an excerpt here.
August 25, 2014
THE SECRET LIVES OF BABA SEGI’S WIVES
“When Baba Segi awoke with a bellyache for the sixth day in a row, he knew it was time to do something drastic about his fourth wife’s childlessness. He
July 16, 2014
I Am A Coward
If a coward dies a thousand deaths, and a brave one dies but one, then I have died at least a million times. I live my life cowering (at least
May 26, 2014
Ice Bound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole
(This post first ran in 2011) In the continuous stream of NPR that is my life, I just learned that Jerri Nielson died of breast cancer. Dr. Nielson wrote a
March 7, 2014
Five Facts about that Bad Boy of Yours
Perhaps the lure of the bad boy is similar to the lure of climbing Mt. Everest. It feels so good to conquer it and get to the top—despite all the
February 8, 2014
Art Versus Artists: Does It Matter?
Last night I watched a TMC documentary: And The Oscar Goes To. Saying that I wept is about as meaningful as saying I sneezed—I am the easiest tears-mark in the world.
February 7, 2014
Book Statistics & Fascinating Facts
Truly, it is easier to find out the average cost of a meal or nail polish (found them both in one try) than it is to find out most statistics on book sales (try
December 13, 2013
Confessionals From The Refrigerator & The Bar
Food and Loathing: A Life Measured Out in Calories by Betsy Lerner Everyone hates a fat woman. Or is it that a fat woman thinks everyone hates her?
November 27, 2013
The Joy of Jewish Book Festivals
“Don’t forget; Jewish people read an enormous amount,” my lovely (and Jewish) literary agent said before my book launch. “We really love books.” I nodded. Yes, I knew that—at least I
November 6, 2013
After You Sign The Publishing Contract: What Comes Next?
Imagine this: Someone asks you to marry them, and because you are so eager (desperate?) to wed, you say yes—even though you don’t know them, don’t know what they expect,
September 9, 2013
Does This Launch Make Me Look Fat?
Amazing. Here I am, about to realize my longest-held-dream—publishing a novel—and my biggest concern is whether I‘ll look fat at the launch party. No matter what the event, we always
September 8, 2013
“Is That Character You? Your Husband? Your Sister???” No: It’s The Butter In The Cookies
There something a little creepy about knowing that when friends, family, neighbors, and mailman read the novels I wrote, that they’re probably thinking: So that’s what she thinks about when
June 26, 2013
What Makes A Satisfying End?
Beginning a book is easier than ending it (at least for me.) A beginning is exciting and glittery, filled with excitement and hope. First sentences are sexy. They pop
May 29, 2013
Collective Guilt vs Collective Fear
“Justice is better than chivalry if we cannot have both.†-Alice Stone Blackwell The Internet is a tricky beast. Sitting alone, cozy in ragged sweatpants, writing while curled on
May 20, 2013