When I moved to Los Angeles, I started writing the sequel to my earlier memoir (The Improbable Adventures of a Middle-Aged Woman). I kept written journals but something kept nagging at me to draw. I am not by any stretch of the imagination an artist. This did not stop me from trying. Not knowing how…

Welcome to the Dojo Wisdom for Writers Book Club! Every Wednesday, we meet to discuss one of the lessons in Dojo Wisdom for Writers. We’ll go in order, so it’s easy enough to follow along. Read the lesson, then read the blog post, then comment in the comments! Do feel free to comment on each…

Once upon a time, the word gramarye (“grammar”) meant magical lore. Over time it took on the meaning of “the set of rules that govern how a language is written and spoken,” but I love that ancient link between language and magic. From the time I was old enough to read I’ve felt the deep…

Whenever I look in the mirror, I’m always surprised to see all the silver in my hair. How did that happen? Last I checked, I was nineteen. Of course, with a twenty-year-old daughter, I can’t still be nineteen but I can pretend. A few weeks ago, I started re-reading the Travis McGee mystery/suspense series by…

One of the things I enjoy about writing strong female leads is that strong can mean so many different things. There is the superficial kickass heroine – the one who is what most people think of when they think of strong female leads. I myself have been known to enjoy kicking men in the balls…

People sometimes wonder how someone as feral as I am came to be a writer, which is all about connecting and communicating with other people. And the reason is, for me at least, that the connecting and communicating with others is more of a bug in the process than a feature. I mean I want…