Last night, my Grandma fell and broke her ribs. Well, only two of them, but that’s enough when you’re 89. This is the Grandma I keep writing picture books and essays about (that’s her with her stapler in this month’s … Continue reading →

Okay, let’s just get this out there: Everything I write is autobiographical. I’m not going to tell the lie I learned in my graduate school writing workshops. I don’t make all this stuff up. Not really. Well, I mean, of … Continue reading →

Okay, I know. Two posts in one day? Excessive. But I had two pieces of good news today! First, I sold another puppet play to another anthology, this time to a holiday-themed book. It will be out in early 2010. … Continue reading →

Ten years ago today, I ended the longest day of my life — 23 grueling hours of unmedicated back labor — with a plea for an epidural (which made both my mother and husband burst into tears of gratitude for … Continue reading →

I’ve been thinking a lot about the role of religion in genre fiction, and more specifically its role in the fiction I write. I spent most of the last ten years working in churches. I went in a 3/4 time … Continue reading →

Well, hello intrepid blog readers! I haven’t posted anything but good news recently (a welcome change from the usual diet of whining, moping, and cursing the agents/editors/children who don’t appreciate me adequately, n’est-ce pas?) — so why stop now? I … Continue reading →

When I was a kid, my mom would take me out of school one day a year to play hooky. We had fun: shopping, lunch out, time together. Fast forward to my world. If I took one of my kids … Continue reading →

School starts in a few days, and I can’t sleep.  I know, it’s not school for me… but in a few, short, blessed days, my precious sons will return to the classroom and I will have the opportunity to concentrate … Continue reading →

Hi, y’all ! Yesterday was something special. First off, my talented photographer husband got a great boost: his photo was chosen as the Austin winner of the Scott Kelby Photo Walk 2009 Contest! Check out his photo here. He could … Continue reading →

Urg. So, last night, I invited some close friends/neighbors over for a lovely dinner party. I made a new recipe my brother taught me in Ohio last week — “white sangria.” This consists of 1 bottle of riesling, 2 cans … Continue reading →