This has been a busy month. I was fortunate to spend a week at my mother’s home in Connecticut. After a harrowing drive in a blizzard from the airport to her house, a drive that should have taken 90 minutes but instead took 4.5 hours, I made it safely to my childhood home. Thought process during the white-knuckled experience: “Well, we’re only going around 5 miles per hour in icy, snowy conditions, plus it’s dark, Read more…
Here’s what I wanted to know about Joan of Arc. My most successful work is always born out of the question, How come? With A Prayer for Captain La Hire, I wanted to know why none of the champions who fought by Joan’s side, who followed her into battle, who used her as a weapon in the war for France’s identity and soul, none of them tried to ransom her when she was captured by Read more…
The worst thing writers can do is get caught up in the comparison trap with regards to our lives and our careers. I catch myself doing it too much, slotting myself into place between this writer and that writer, and seeing — always — where I come up short. So today, on this writer’s Thanksgiving, I’m going to accept my current frustrations, count my writerly blessings and set some aspirations. I am always frustrated by Read more…