On Wednesday at 4:00 pm Pacific Time, I’ll be leading a webinar on autobiographical fiction. Using my novel Hope in a Time of Dying as a guide, we’ll explore how to transform lived experience into fiction. Together, we’ll look at the form’s history, examine authors who have used it successfully, and consider its strengths, challenges,…
We’re More Than Labels
Today, I did something a little unusual. I was tired and while resting I started mentally listing all the people I knew growing up. I’m from a little Texas town of 7,000, and there were 125 people in my graduating class. Most of those people started with me in first grade and went all the…
A Song That Still Speaks
Sam wrote this song in 1964 in solidarity with the Civil Rights Movement. His outrage was personal: in 1963, while touring in Louisiana with his wife and brother, they were turned away from an all-White motel. He later admitted he was inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” and felt ashamed that as a…
From 9/11 to Now: Finding Unity in Times of Division
On the morning of September 11, 2001, my husband and I were lying in bed before taking our kids to school when Ray turned on the television to watch the morning news. Suddenly, I heard him say, “Oh, my God!” I looked up to see footage of the first plane plowing into the first tower…
Thank You, Ginger Nye, for Hosting My Book Reading and Signing for Hope in a Time of Dying!
Today, I had a wonderful time reading and discussing my book Hope in a Time of Dying at Ginger Nye’s “Wind Down Wednesday” series at Austin College. The turnout was strong, and the audience was open, engaged, and responsive. I was especially touched to see several old and dear friends in the audience, whose encouraging…
Flash Fiction: Lesson from the Scrub Jay
“You could make a living doing that kind of thing,” Mary Jo said as she watched her sister refinish an oak coffee table in the shade of the backyard pecan tree. “I suppose I could, but I’ve never thought about it,” Louise said, running the tack rag gently over the sanded finish. “Maybe I’ll consider…
Hitting the Street Podcast: A Conversation about My Novel, Creativity, and Taking Risks
I had a wonderful conversation about my book, Hope in a Time of Dying, along with a discussion about creativity, getting unblocked, and overcoming fear with Chele Wells from the “Hitting the Streets” podcast. Here’s the link if you’d like to listen. https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/mox0nDhntWb I will be speaking at 4:30 at Austin College this Wednesday, September…
How Revision Transforms Writing (and Writers)
I have been a writing coach for over twenty years. During that time, I’ve spent countless hours working with students, editing and revising their work. As I often tell them, “We first take your rough draft and make sure it has a beginning, middle, and end. Then we go through the piece again and again,…
Children’s Hospital, Kindness, and a Successful Surgery
My grandson, Nico, is recovering from an appendectomy that took place the day before yesterday. He woke up in the middle of the night with sharp pain in the lower right side of his abdomen, and his parents rushed him to Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. After a series of tests, including a CT scan,…
Three Places Where My Heart Lives
Home is where the heart is. This aphorism is attributed to Pliny the Elder, a Roman philosopher living in A.D. 23–79. He wrote “Ubi bene, Ibi patria” in Latin, which means “where you are well is your country.” This may be even more powerful given the fact that he died during the eruption of Mount…
20 Minutes a Day 