Breaking Out of the Prison You Made
Recall one of your dark days—you know the ones—when you feel like you’re not enough and the discomforts/mistakes/disappointments that surround you are what you deserve. You struggle to do more, … Continue reading
What, Then, Is a Lie?
Last night I slipped the 2016 film DENIAL into my DVR and was immediately mesmerized by the perpetual struggle of truth against lies. I had ordered the DVD from Netflix … Continue reading
Secrets on the Clothesline (a story)
Love is the magic balm. Children are the purveyors of love, treating our worst injuries with sloppy kisses. She stood at the clothesline, her broad hips echoing the shapes … Continue reading
Love Nicely Aged
Some 27 years ago, I wrote this little sketch of an old couple in their first RV. We don’t have an RV, but the banter isn’t entirely unfamiliar to my … Continue reading
Too Long at the Fair (a short story)
What happens when a woman who has used her looks to navigate the world without ever finding herself grows older? Maggie smiled over the scrambled eggs, hoping her mascara hadn’t … Continue reading
My Real Grandma and Sugar Cookies
Grandma stands at the head of the kitchen table. “Go ahead and stir it up. I’ll do the cleaning.” “Oh, Gram.” A pause. I’m old enough to know better, but … Continue reading
The Yard Sale
I wish the following were fiction. It’s not. It’s an illustration of the kind of greed that pervades our society and the kind of honor that defies it. She … Continue reading
Breaking Out of a Sexual Prison
Have you ever been abruptly awakened from a deep sleep—except your body didn’t wake up? You were consciousness within a shell you didn’t command. I felt that experience only once. … Continue reading
What is it like to write a second novel? What is it like to write novels at all?
My second novel is venturing into the world. I can’t say I’m surprised to be in this spot, because I’ve held being a professional novelist as a goal since I … Continue reading
The Line Between Humans and Less-Thans
Thumbs? Religion? Poetry? What is it that makes us human? “What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form, in moving, … Continue reading
