“I shouldn’t say never but I’m dreading motherhood.” I saw that tweet years ago and haven’t been able to forget it. It sticks with me because I used to feel that way. In my first post-high school relationship, as a girlfriend to the guy who’d become my first husband before I turned 20, I sensed … Read more
This interview was originally published on the now-absent website Indie Bookworm, hosted/written by Cathy Murray. It’s short. Enjoy! P.S. Because I was working on this novel during a heavy time (my dad was admitted into the ICU not long after I started writing it), I had feelings about it later, association feelings, that made me … Read more
“I don’t want them to go. Seriously. I love them to death. But once they are gone, won’t it be kind of nice to have fewer complications, fewer interruptions?” These are the things you say before they go, before they’re gone. Up until the second it happens, their leaving is still theoretical, so it’s safe and easy … Read more
SOCIETY is already seated when MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN (MAW) enters the diner. Society watches as MAW approaches and sits down. SOCIETY: I’m pleased we’re doing this. I know you’ve been wanting to get something off your chest, and —Oh, yes, it is a bit of a crepey situation, isn’t it. MAW: Sorry? SOCIETY: (reaching across the table to … Read more
From: JessicaSmith@mail.com To: JessicaVale@agentmail.com Sent: Saturday, 11:07 PM Dear Jessica Vale, In my recent email to you requesting representation for my literary novel Letters Lost, I neglected to include my telephone number. I apologize for the oversight. You’ll find the number in my signature below. I hope this minor error won’t tarnish your opion of my … Read more
On March 7, Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC’s Morning Joe commented in a telling way on the five Texas women suing the state after being denied abortions that would have reduced the risks to their lives. About 15 minutes into the program, after the standard political-stuff opening(s), Mika and co-host Joe Scarborough moved into a conversation with All In Together CEO … Read more
A few years ago my 48 year-old husband got the job he’d always wanted at one of the best companies he could work for. I’m happy he achieved his dream, but I also feel bad for him. I feel bad for most people who realize their Big Dream and still have 30 or more years … Read more
Especially if you’re a writer Imagine a painter. She stands at her easel under a skylight, a cup of brushes on a nearby table. The drop cloth under her feet is dotted and smeared with color. An abstract arrangement of shapes covers the canvas in front of her. She dips her brush in a blob … Read more
But I didn’t change my mind about kids One of the questions frequently posed to childfree people is a two-parter: A: “What if you regret it?” B: “Aren’t you afraid of dying alone?” My reason for not wanting kids was so simple (I just didn’t want to be a parent) that those weren’t questions I … Read more
As young as five years old, I understood without real understanding that when I grew into a woman I would someday, inevitably, become a mother. As a little girl, I semi-regularly played the game of House with a friend who lived in the next apartment building, and we’d choose our roles before each game: Husband … Read more
