This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies.
OK!Change Cookie SettingsWe may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have an impact on how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt-out any time or opt-in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons, we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
Google Webfont Settings:
Google Map Settings:
Google reCaptcha Settings:
Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:
You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.
Privacy Policy
6 content trends marketers need to watch right now
Blogging, Content marketing, WritingIn the last six months, content marketing has undergone a huge change. The introduction of mainstream Artificial Intelligence (AI) writing tools, a tightening economy, and shifting social media algorithms are causing ripples in marketing strategies as we head toward Q3. New tools and slimmer budgets can’t change one thing: content marketing is still a critical […]
How do you sign books remotely? With Post-Its, of course.
AnnouncementsA Perfect Facebook Life is out tomorrow and I’ll be doing a virtual signing over on Facebook Live. Signing my books is one of my favorite things, but I can’t sign my books this time because (womp womp) pandemic. What I can do is sign post-its during a Facebook Live tomorrow and send them out […]
March 29: Join A.J., Alena Dillon & Katie Eber for FUNNY ON FACEBOOK, a free and funny Zoom event
AnnouncementsA Perfect Facebook Life is nearly here! To celebrate the upcoming April 6 release, join me at 7:30 pm ET on Monday, March 29 for a celebration of humor with two very talented, very funny women writers for Funny on Facebook, a preorder event for A Perfect Facebook Life. (On Zoom, of course, because pandemic.) […]
I have a new book coming out!
These posts don't have a homeI’ve been posting a lot about “my new project” lately. What is it? I have a book coming out next year with Woodhall Press! You know how in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Midge does private parties instead of taking her comedy out into the world? That’s kind of what I’ve been doing on Facebook. I post […]
Hear me on the Freelance Writers Den podcast!
InterviewsThis week I’m excited to be one of two guests interviewed by Angie Mansfield of the Freelance Writers Den podcast about the fine art of education content and copywriting. Angie, writer Hailey Hudson, and I waxed poetic about freelance writing in the education niche. We cover the market, which jobs are well-paying, and writers passionate about education […]
You Have To Be Specific When You Write About Edtech
Edtech, SEOWhen I tell people what I do, I often get this question: What is edtech? This might seem like an overly broad question, but I hear it a lot from people who are outside the industry, and even from some of the people who are part of it. I also had to figure out the answer for […]
You Have to Interview Someone for a Blog Post. Now What?
InterviewsUh-oh. You have to use an interview in your content. It might be for a blog post, a case study, or a video, but you’ve got to interview someone and you’re not sure how to go about it. How do you find a willing subject, for example? And do you stay in touch with them […]
I have news. Like, actual writing news!
These posts don't have a homeOn Monday, I learned that my manuscript, “A Perfect Facebook Life,” was chosen by Woodhall Press as one of six finalists for the Fairfield Book Prize. And then I spent a few days processing that information because IT. IS. BONKERS. First of all, the other finalists are amazingly talented and I am honored to be named with him. […]
4 questions to ask before your tech company starts looking for a content writer
WritersYour tech company has decided that it needs to invest in content marketing. Maybe you’ve got an editorial calendar and a full content team already. Maybe you’ve got nothing, but you know that content marketing is the best, least expensive form of marketing your company can invest in, and you’re panicking, thinking “oh god, we […]
Edtech, ed tech, or ed-tech? Here’s the deal.
StylebookI’d like to talk about a bee that’s gotten into my bonnet. I’ve been writing about education technology since 2014, and in that time, a question seems to be buzzing in the background; one that everyone seems to be afraid to ask. Maybe because it’s the sort of thing we feel like we should already […]
Do You Live in CT? Do You Want to Ask 3 Indie Authors Anything?
These posts don't have a homeOf course you do. Join me, Cindy Eastman and Joe McGee at the Watertown Library (that’s in Watertown CT, not that imposter Watertown in Massachusetts, pssssht) on Saturday, October 14 from 11 a.m. to 3 pm for Indie Author Day 2017. What is Indie Author Day? Guys, I am so glad you asked. Indie Author […]
In Which I Am a Woman in the Sci-Fi Section at the Library’s Annual Used Book Sale
shorts(To be read in a BBC voice) The female sees an opening in the sci-fi and fantasy section, her preferred diet, and begins to graze.
Chalkboard Punishments for My Demographic
These posts don't have a homeI will check with my neighbors to see if the NYT on my driveway is theirs before I read it. I will check with my neighbors to see if the NYT on my driveway is theirs before I read it. I will check with my neighbors to see if the NYT on my driveway is […]
Three Quick Ways E-Learning Companies Can Keep Content Rolling Out — Even During Back-to-School Chaos
BloggingIt’s the start of a new school year, and it’s all hands on deck for e-learning companies. As an edtech leader, you spend the last half of August and the first half of September tending to your existing clients. You help them roll out new content. You train personnel on your tech. And you are […]
Conducting Interviews: A Guide for Content Marketers
InterviewsWe’ve talked about interviews on this blog before. Showcasing your company’s expertise by interviewing your employees, partners, and happy clients is a valuable and powerful way to tell your brand’s story. But how do you actually do it? And how do you get the most out of that interview? As a former journalist (who has […]
Want Strong, Original Content? Interview Your People.
InterviewsYour employees, partners, and clients are the stars of your business.
They deserve a spotlight, so feature them in your content
The myth of the perfect blog post
WritersI want you to imagine the perfect blog post. It’s got an informative, yet clever headline that drags in readers, and a click-compelling image that’s legal for you to use. The first line hooks your reader right away. The second paragraph hits your audience smack in the pain point, and moves on from there into […]
Shutting it down. Kind of.
Announcements, Blogging about blogging is so metaGuys, I’m shutting down The Garrett. (That’s what this blog used to be called.) Or, at least, I’m changing it. When I put this blog together in 2009, back when people were still naming their blogs, it was an appropriate piece of my online platform. Seven years ago blogs were something writers – especially […]
This morning, a prominent literary journal rejected a short story of mine. This should be a bummer, but it’s not, because I have absolutely NO memory of ever submitting it to them. None. So one of you is probably sending my stuff out, right? (If so, thank you.) Just kidding — not sleeping for a […]
What I’m doing now: a month of revisions
Beware The Hawk, My Process, The Eagle & The ArrowI probably should have mentioned this earlier, but better late than never: Hey readers! At the end of November, I finally finished the first draft of the final book in the Resistance trilogy. https://www.instagram.com/p/BBx32oXwhx8/ It’s been a long time coming. The second book, The Eagle & The Arrow, was released just around the time I […]
This scene is terrible, and I’m not writing it.
I make stuff up for a living, My ProcessThere’s a scene I have to write, but I’ve been dreading it. It’s the kind of scene I hate reading, but it’s also seemed like the sort of scene I needed to write in order to connect important plot points. Here’s the breakdown of what needs to happen: It’s a fantasy novel. A character needs […]
Writing about wanting to be Han Solo at The Mary Sue
Geekery, WritingLast week The Mary Sue published an essay that my friend and fellow VBP author Tamela Ritter wrote about our feelings for Han Solo. Neither one of us had a crush on him, exactly: I wanted to be him. Tammy wanted to be his best friend. And the response has been amazing. Our feelings about […]
Living from one deadline to the next, and why it’s time for me to start blogging again
WritingA lot’s been going on lately and when I say “a lot,” I mean woah, I’ve had a lot of deadlines lately. I’ve been quiet over here, mostly because I’ve been writing my words elsewhere. I used to write about pop culture here — now I pitch those ideas to The Mary Sue, The Establishment […]
From today until Thanksgiving, ‘Final Statements’ is free on Amazon
Announcements, These posts don't have a homeFrom today until the day before Thanksgiving, my short story Final Statements is free.
Scary author tasks: Asking for reviews
I make stuff up for a livingAsking for a book review is like approaching a stranger on the street and saying: “Excuse me, if you like me, can please punch me in the face?”
That time a celebrity friended me on Facebook
Life at Fort DavisSeveral years ago, a celebrity friended me on Facebook. I’m not saying who. In fact you probably won’t recognize his name if you scroll through my contacts, but, for some reason,after I wrote an article about someone he’d worked with, he started following me on Twitter. Then sent me a Facebook friend request. Then, I […]
My main character swears, and other confessions.
I have problems, I make stuff up for a livingIt’s always a little awkward when relatives read my books. A couple of years ago, one of my in-laws bought copies of my books for everyone on that side of the family as Christmas gifts. It was a really wonderful gesture, and I was flattered. I was also terrified because oh my god, my in-laws […]
A room of my own.
My Process, WritingVirginia Woolf is famous for saying that a woman needs money and a room of her own if she’s going to write fiction. This week, I finally have a room of my own again. It’s been almost a whole year since I packed my office up. My son was no longer a newborn and needed […]
Seven things about my writing that readers might want to know.
My ProcessIf someone tells you “you should be writing,” you have my permission to give them the loudest raspberries possible.
Read ‘Undertow’ for free on your Kindle this week
AnnouncementsHello everyone. Happy Easter week! To celebrate the alleged start of spring, I’m making my short story “Undertow” free on Amazon this week. The promotion starts tomorrow, March 31, and ends Saturday, April 4. What’s the story about? It’s a supernatural horror story about a young woman who falls in love with the ocean. But […]
On transitions in writing (or, avoiding a case of the “howevers.”)
My ProcessHey guys. Just a quick post to let you know that I have an essay up at Spry Literary Journal today as part of their ABCs of Fiction Writing series. My letter was J, so I wrote about junctures: the places where we join the pieces of our prose. Check it out. And check out […]
This totally made my afternoon: Books & Insomnia’s review of Beware the Hawk
Announcements, Beware The HawkJust a quick post to tell everyone that Julie over at Books and Insomnia reviewed Beware the Hawk. It’s a really good review. I might have danced around the kitchen when I read it. Check it out. Then check out the rest of Julie’s blog. It’s a really great site, and she must read constantly, […]
Writing research, or this week’s list of reasons the NSA is watching me.
I make stuff up for a livingLast week I posted a list of the items I researched while working on my latest thriller for The Resistance Cycle. This week, I continued to make slow progress on the manuscript, but once again, I needed to know certain … things.
Things you research while writing a thriller
My ProcessBecause I turn off my internet connection while I’m writing, I keep a written weekly list of the things I have to research for my books. And because I write political thrillers, the things I Google are pretty suspicious. Although, let’s be honest: nothing beats “where do senators park” search I did when I was […]
Beware the Hawk 3, or, my collection of crappy first pages.
My Process, WritingIf the public were hungry for an anthology of bad first pages, I’d be booking readings right now.
I’m cheating on my novel with another novel.
I make stuff up for a livingI started a brand new novel.
WHY did I start a brand new novel?
I’m cheating on my novel with another novel.
I make stuff up for a livingI started a brand new novel.
WHY did I start a brand new novel?
DinoLand has been reposted, and it’s better-looking and more navigable than ever.
AnnouncementsGood news! John, the editor over at Geek Eccentric, saw my post from a few days ago about DinoLand getting taken down for the holidays and, because he’s awesome, gave me a present: even though the rest of his site is dark for a while, he put my chapters back up. Not only that, but […]
DinoLand has been reposted, and it’s better-looking and more navigable than ever.
AnnouncementsGood news! John, the editor over at Geek Eccentric, saw my post from a few days ago about DinoLand getting taken down for the holidays and, because he’s awesome, gave me a present: even though the rest of his site is dark for a while, he put my chapters back up. Not only that, but […]
Quick note about Geek Eccentric
Announcements, DinoLandUPDATE: John, over at Geek Eccentric, has reposted the chapters, and they are better formatted and more navigable than ever. (So no PDF Party.) Thank you John! I have a bunch of posts that link to Geek Eccentric on this page. Some are to articles, and most are to my serial novel, DinoLand, which has […]
Quick note about Geek Eccentric
Announcements, DinoLandUPDATE: John, over at Geek Eccentric, has reposted the chapters, and they are better formatted and more navigable than ever. (So no PDF Party.) Thank you John! I have a bunch of posts that link to Geek Eccentric on this page. Some are to articles, and most are to my serial novel, DinoLand, which has […]
Jurassic World looks uncomfortably close to the plot of my book.
I make stuff up for a livingWell, this is awkward. I just saw the trailer for Jurassic World. I’ve talked about this before, but I feel I need to say something else, especially in light of my latest chapter. For those who don’t know, I’ve been publishing a serial novel about a dinosaur zoo over at Geek Eccentric this year. It’s […]
DinoLand’s last chapter of the year.
These posts don't have a homeChapter 10 of DinoLand is live right now, and it’s a big one. The Night of the Bucking Brachiosaurus is finally drawing to a close (and it’s about time, since we’ve been reading about it since what? March?) and it’s time for things to happen. Perdita and Doug have their big confrontation, and we finally […]
Chapter 9 of DinoLand is live.
These posts don't have a homeBackstory. It’s like crack to me. I think it’s probably like crack to a lot of authors. We’re all “here are our characters. We love them, so here’s a flashback.” Well, readers, Chapter 9 is live (and has been, but there were technical issues) and there is backstory. I hope you enjoy it as much […]
Chapter 9 of DinoLand is live.
These posts don't have a homeBackstory. It’s like crack to me. I think it’s probably like crack to a lot of authors. We’re all “here are our characters. We love them, so here’s a flashback.” Well, readers, Chapter 9 is live (and has been, but there were technical issues) and there is backstory. I hope you enjoy it as much […]
Chapter 8 of DinoLand is live.
These posts don't have a homeThe latest chapter of DinoLand is up at Geek Eccentric. This one’s got a maniac, secret tunnels, big guns and a dinosaur the size of your local Roman Catholic Church. That’s not even giving you any spoilers. I would have posted this yesterday, when the chapter actually went live, but my family was staying someplace […]
Writing a serial novel is a crazy rollercoaster ride.
DinoLand, My ProcessChapter 7 of DinoLand is live! It went up yesterday, but I had some obligations and couldn’t post about it here. So I’m posting today Whew. To tell the truth, I really didn’t think I was going to get the chapter live this month. Working on a serial novel is insane. It isn’t like writing […]
Writing a serial novel is a crazy rollercoaster ride.
DinoLand, My ProcessChapter 7 of DinoLand is live! It went up yesterday, but I had some obligations and couldn’t post about it here. So I’m posting today Whew. To tell the truth, I really didn’t think I was going to get the chapter live this month. Working on a serial novel is insane. It isn’t like writing […]
Leave George R. R. Martin alone!
Geekery, I make stuff up for a livingLook, I cherish a deep and abiding love for Weird Al Yankovic, and I laughed when I saw his Emmy performance last night, but man, I felt bad for George R. R. Martin when Andy Samberg ambushed him with that typewriter at the end of the Game of Thrones song last night. I’m as rabid […]
The ice bucket challenge.
These posts don't have a homeI just finished my donations and figured I should post this. And look, I wasn’t going to do this challenge. I really, really wasn’t. But then I was tagged by my friend Adam, and after my initial hipster-knee-jerk reaction (“Ugh! A trend. Don’t let it touch me.“) I found that I couldn’t really say no. […]
Actual, real tips for writing with a baby
My Process, WritingThis is a follow-up to yesterday’s post, in which I live-blogged a day of trying to write with a baby. I realized, as I read through the post, that although I complained about not being able to find helpful hints about writing with a young child in the articles I’ve read, I didn’t actually include […]
Writing with a four-month-old: a live-blogging experiment
My Process, My X chromosomes, These posts don't have a home, WritingToday I’m trying something new. I am live-blogging my attempt to write while home alone with a baby. I’ve read a few things about tactics for writing with a young child, and those articles were not terribly helpful. So today is an experiment. I’ve got a baby carrier, a bouncy chair, a play-yard and my […]
Chapter Six of DinoLand is online today.
UncategorizedChapter Six is up at Geek Eccentric today. This chapter takes us into Doug’s head and into Steve Asten’s lair.
Rejection is awesome. Here’s why.
I make stuff up for a living, WritingToday I got such a nice rejection letter from a literary journal that it made my day. I know. If anyone had told me when I was starting out that a rejection letter would make my day someday, my eyes would have rolled so hard that they would have come loose. But this rejection letter, […]
Chapter 5 of DinoLand is live today
These posts don't have a homeThe latest installment of DinoLand is up this morning at Geek Eccentric! This month’s installment is a gastronomic one. You’ve been warned.
My novel was my baby, but now my baby’s my baby, so how exactly do you write with a baby?
I make stuff up for a living, My X chromosomesThere are two things I’ve heard/read about writing with a baby. The first is from Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird: “I used to not be able to work if there were dishes in the sink. Then I had a child and now I can work if there is a corpse in the sink.” […]
Chapter 4 of DinoLand is up this morning at Geek Eccentric.
UncategorizedIt’s aliiiiive. Or rather, it’s liiiive. Chapter 4 of DinoLand is posted at Geek Eccentric as of half an hour ago. In this month’s installment, the zoology team attempts to help a sick brachiosaurus. How do you do that? With armored vehicles, a team of acrobats and tranquilizers fired from a cannon. While praying. With […]
Freelance & fiction & the third Resistance book, which is definitely being written.
Beware The Hawk, Blogging about blogging is so meta, I make stuff up for a livingJust a quick post today: I’m working on freelance projects and prepping the fourth chapter of DinoLand for its publication on Sunday (there will be be big doings in Chapter Four, for those who have been following along. I promise you blood, my friends.) That’s right, freelance projects! I love teaching as an adjunct, but […]
A Writing Day. (Or, a Writing Couple Of Hours. Same thing, really.)
I make stuff up for a living, My X chromosomesToday is a writing day for me! A good ol’ fiction-writing extravaganza day. Today, I do my favorite thing in the world: make stuff up. w00t for a writing day! Well. Actually, it’s not really a writing day. It’ s really a writing couple of hours. I’ve set the day aside, and my mother has […]
I’ve had a short story up on Amazon for a week and haven’t told anyone.
I make stuff up for a livingI call this “stealth marketing.” (Pro tip: I just checked my metrics on Amazon. “Stealth marketing” doesn’t work.) Anyhow, the story. Final Statements is about a woman who is obsessed with reading the last words of executed prisoners online. (This is a real thing. Someone records the final words of death row inmates and then […]
Chapter 3 of DinoLand is up at Geek Eccentric.
UncategorizedJust a quick post to let you all know that Chapter 3 of DinoLand is live today at Geek Eccentric. Head on over and check it out because the plot is thickening and it is getting real. As an aside, I’ve been meaning to write more than these monthly posts about things that are getting […]
Chapter Two of DinoLand is live at Geek Eccentric today!
UncategorizedIt’s the first Sunday of April and that means that DinoLand’s second chapter is online today at Geek Eccentric. This month’s chapter features a new point of view character, a brachiosaurus with a problem and a possible business deal that could cause even more problems for the people at the park who love the dinosaurs. […]
DinoLand news and even bigger news.
Announcements, Life at Fort DavisJust a brief post to tell you that the second chapter of DinoLand goes live at Geek Eccentric tomorrow. (Update: Click here to read it.) Quite frankly, I’m proud as can be to be posting the chapter as scheduled, especially because of my second piece of news: On Tuesday, my husband and I became parents […]
Undertow: the first piece in my short story experiment.
I have problems, I make stuff up for a livingSome things take me a while. More than a year ago, I decided to release some of my previously-published short stories electronically on Amazon. So I waited for an evening when my husband was out, then climbed into the bathtub with a handful of seashells, a tube of red food coloring and a camera, because […]
The “what are you reading” survey so far: no one wants to admit to reading erotica.
Reading Rainbow, WritingIt’s been two weeks since I asked readers to tell me all sorts of things about who they are, what they’re reading, and — most distressing for many of them — what their favorite books are. I am nowhere near where I’d like to be with this survey; so far I have only 32 respondents. […]
Calling all readers! What are you reading and why: a survey
Reading RainbowRecently, a piece was written on AVClub.com about the bleak state of American fiction. This generated some discussion online among writers about whether, in fact, things are bleak for American fiction. It’s not a new argument. A debate constantly rages in the writers’ community about the state of reading among adults in our society. Is […]
Chapter 1 of DinoLand debuts today!
DinoLandChapter 1 of DinoLand is live over at Geek Eccentric right now. I’ve just run around the house yelling “Ahhhhh, it’s alive” and now that I’m settled down, I’m posting here while I can sit still. If you like dinosaurs, sci-fi, or thrillers head over to Geek Eccentric and check out Chapter 1. If you […]
Writing after the MFA: The Book
Announcements, I make stuff up for a living, WritingAfter I graduated from my MFA program in 2011, I wrote about how it can be a struggle to keep writing after getting a Masters of Fine Arts degree in fiction: you leave a ready-made community of writers and a system of built-in deadlines and head back out into the world, where life is waiting […]
Things I’m learning from my first foray into serial fiction.
My ProcessI posted a little while ago about DinoLand, my sci-fi novel which will be serialized, starting this Sunday, over at Geek Eccentric. Well, it’s almost dinosaur time and I’m as nervous as an attorney staring down a T-Rex in the rain. Since this is a brand new process for me, I thought I’d write a […]
Writing while pregnant
My Process, My X chromosomesAt eight months pregnant, I’m a little nervous about my writing career. Mostly because writing while pregnant has not been easy for me. In fact, it’s been really difficult. I’ve held off on writing this post because of the inevitable comments of those who will say things like “You think <insert activity> is hard now. […]
One of my novels is being published as serial fiction! (And there are dinosaurs.)
Announcements, I make stuff up for a livingI have some pretty awesome publishing news. Are you ready? Get ready. Geek Eccentric, a site I’ve been working with for a year now, will be serializing a novel of mine, DinoLand, starting on Sunday, March 2, and running the first Sunday of each month. I’ve been working with an artist, the fabulous Max Farinato, […]
Time to come clean: last year’s resolutions.
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"I don’t think I can put this off any longer. I’m going to have to face up. Last year (and the year before) I posted my New Years resolutions online and checked in with them monthly to hold myself accountable. This worked pretty well in 2012, so last year I got ambitious and included many […]
I am not the Buddha.
Anger is like food to me, My X chromosomesI wasn’t going to post about this. In fact, I was going to try to keep silent on this entire topic. However, something really does need to be said. So here goes. I’m pregnant. (Yeah, yeah. I know.) My pregnancy is not the reason I’m angry. The reason I’m angry? My “delicate condition” has provoked […]
Saying ‘No’ to NaNoWriMo
I make stuff up for a livingI’m not getting involved in National Novel Writing Month (that’s “NaNoWriMo” or “NaNo” to the initiated) this year. While other writers are chugging their eighth cup of coffee, sitting down after a long day of work and trying to pound out 1,666.666 words a day, I will be reading someone else’s work, putting together a […]
This interview made me feel like a real, live author again.
I make stuff up for a livingI want to thank Jason Harris of Jason Harris Promotions, who interviewed me about The Eagle & The Arrow via email this week and posted the interview tonight on his website. Check it out. This interview made my week. Why? Well, I’m going to be honest: for a few months I haven’t been feeling like […]
The Writers’ Circle at the Fairfield Library.
I make stuff up for a livingA couple of weeks ago, I met the nicest group of writers in Fairfield. The Fairfield Library Writer’s Circle is a group that meets at the library on Fridays to talk about writing. Sometimes, they invite an author to sit down with them, and two weeks ago, that was me! The group was facilitated that […]
Books & Boos tonight!
AnnouncementsLive in or near Colchester? Like books? Come see me at Books & Boos tonight from 5-7 p.m. I’m going to read from my new book, The Eagle & The Arrow, and anyhow, you should really also come see the store and meet the owners. Especially if you’re a horror fan. Hope to see you […]
Books & Boos is a really cool independent bookstore
AnnouncementsIf you live in New London County in Connecticut, you might be aware of a really cool little bookstore in your backyard. Or, you might not, in which case, you should definitely look into Books & Boos, a store in Colchester owned by two of the founding members of the New England Horror Association. The […]
The case against “snark.”
Anger is like food to me, WritingTime for some tough love, guys. I need to talk to you about that word. The one people have been in love with for a decade. The vaguely British synonym for sarcasm. You know the one: Snark. Look, I loved it at first too. It’s like a wittier form of sarcasm, yes? At any rate […]
An evening in the open air in Torrington.
The Eagle & The ArrowLast night I was at Torrington’s Main Street Marketplace. I was lucky enough to be in the Library’s tent as part of the Torrington Author Expo with Stamfordite Rich Arruzza, who writes the Sparky’s Adventures children’s series. You’ve really got to hand it to Arruzza; he was dressed head to toe in white with black […]
See you Thursday at the Torrington Main Street Marketplace
AnnouncementsEvery Thursday evening in the summer, the town of Torrington, Connecticut closes down Main Street and fills it with vendors. It’s called the Main Street Market Place, and the event is beloved of people who live in that area. This coming Thursday, (August 15 for those who need a date) I will be one of […]
My favorite movies are pretty indicative of my mental age.
GeekeryIf I’ve been quiet on this site, it’s because I’ve been embarrassing myself fairly regularly over at Geek Eccentric. Remember the good old days, when I blogged about Legolas and feminism (not necessarily in the same post?) Well, they’ve been getting a lot of those posts since I was recruited as a writer/editor in the […]
When everyone decided to read aloud.
The BPT, The Eagle & The ArrowJust a quick note: I had so much fun at the trench coat party at Made in Bridgeport last night. (Want more photos? Check my author page on Facebook.) Despite the heat, people did actually arrive in trench coats (and my mother showed up, dressed like this photo of Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote. […]
It’s hard to rock a trench in a heatwave, but I’m doing it for fiction!
Announcements, The BPT, The Eagle & The ArrowFirst, an apology to anyone who follows me on Twitter. I’m sorry for clogging your feed with #trenchcoatparty hashtags. I’m just irrationally excited for tonight’s event at Made in Bridgeport. Thanks to Robin Gilmore, owner of MIB, it’s the first book event I’ve ever had that wasn’t more or less just a reading and a […]
Not wind, nor rain, nor very loud music can stop vendors at street festivals.
AnnouncementsDespite a downpour and gusts of wind that nearly lifted our tent off the street, The Bridgeport Arts Fest was a lot of fun. I worked at Made in Bridgeport’s table, saw some friends, met some new people, and handed out a lot of fliers for this Thursday’s Trench Coat party (5-8 p.m. on Thursday, […]
Review: The Eagle and the Arrow by A.J. O’Connell
These posts don't have a homeThis review of The Eagle and the Arrow made my day! Go check out Ally at Word Vagabond; she’s got one fabulous book review site.
Trench Coat Party: It’s more than a reading/signing
Announcements, The BPT, The Eagle & The ArrowLike lots of authors, I’ve done a lot of readings and signings. Most events are pretty much the same, agenda-wise: People arrive, hobnob, the author reads, there’s a book sale/signing, and people leave. It’s not a bad thing, but most are the same. Well., bust out your fedora and magnifying glass, because thanks to a […]
Book: launched.
The Eagle & The ArrowLast night was the launch party for The Eagle & The Arrow at Fairfield University in Connecticut. It was incredible. In fact, I’m still recovering. Fairfield University let me throw the party in the lobby of the Kelley Center, and 50 people from so many areas of my life came to celebrate. People actually came […]
I interviewed a LOT of people for The Hour. And now The Hour has interviewed me.
I make stuff up for a living, Jonesing for the NewsroomThis is just a quick post, because I’m very excited about this article. My old newspaper, the one that employed me for almost a decade, wrote an article about me and my book. How cool is that? Maybe I shouldn’t be this excited. But for a long time, being an Hour reporter was a big […]
Author Tamela J. Ritter gives me my very own g-chat interview.
I make stuff up for a living, The Eagle & The ArrowI’ve been doing g-chat interviews for slightly more than a year now. Thus far, I’ve interviewed lit mag editors, bloggers and other authors. I like using g-chat as a chat format. It takes a little longer than a phone conversation, but it’s easier to reproduce as a document online. Also, it’s pretty hard to misquote […]
A list of the links that have been posted to The Eagle and the Arrow, so far.
These posts don't have a homeThe Eagle and the Arrow is released today! Links to the book are trickling in. Here are the links that have been posted so far: The e-book, on Amazon The paperback on Amazon And let us not neglect Barnes & Noble, which has the e-book on NOOK The e-book on Smashwords. I’m waiting for the […]
Look what came in the mail today
The Eagle & The ArrowI’m all ready for “The Eagle and the Arrow” book release tomorrow. Can’t wait!
The Eagle & The Arrow comes out next Tuesday (this year’s launch is waaay different than last year’s.)
My Process, The Eagle & The ArrowDeep breaths. I’m gearing up for The Eagle & The Arrow‘s release next Tuesday. The build-up to The Eagle & The Arrow’s release date has been so different from last year’s release of Beware the Hawk. I guess that makes sense. I had some time to prepare this year. I knew what worked well last […]
How to make the best thing in the world: An avocado milkshake
Beware The Hawk, Life at Fort DavisI discovered avocado milkshakes back when I was living and working in Boston, when I first began to come up with the idea for Beware the Hawk. As you might guess from the book, I spent a lot of time in Boston’s Chinatown; I walked through it every day to get to work and to […]
We have a winner! My protagnist has been named!
Beware The Hawk, ContestsIn a week, The Eagle & The Arrow will be released. With review copies out already and with Amazon’s uncertain release dates, I cannot keep this secret any longer: the year-long naming contest has been ended and the nameless protagonist in Beware the Hawk has been named! Who won? What’s the name already? Hold your horses, […]
The first review of The Eagle & The Arrow has been posted!
I make stuff up for a living, The Eagle & The ArrowThe book itself won’t be released until June 11, but the first review for The Eagle & The Arrow has been posted, and I am thrilled. Please check out So, I Read This Book Today and give the review a read. So, I Read This Book Today is a brand new book review site run […]
I want five bad reviews this summer
I make stuff up for a living, The Eagle & The ArrowFive bad reviews of either of my books from people I don’t know. That’s my goal for this summer. I told my husband this last week and he looked at me as if I’d sprouted an arm from the top of my head. I do have a good reason for wanting five bad reviews: if […]
Give it away, give it away, give it away now.
Announcements, Beware The Hawk, Contests, I make stuff up for a livingWow. The Goodreads book giveaway is no joke. Today I launched my very first giveaway with the site, the first of several giveaways of Beware the Hawk I’m doing to lead up to the release of The Eagle and the Arrow next month. My giveaway has been for one morning and already it’s been requested […]
Do you know of a great book reviewer? I want to know.
The Eagle & The ArrowThis is a crowd-sourcing kind of post. I want you guys to tell me where to send my book. Yesterday I started sending review copies of The Eagle & The Arrow to a few fantastic book reviewers with whom I have relationships, and also to an elite group of super-readers. (I like to call them […]
I could get used to radio.
I make stuff up for a livingWow. That was fun. I’m just back from Hartford, and wanted to update the blog quickly and let you know how the show went. First of all, the Colin McEnroe Show was a lot of fun. Colin, Lucy, Brian and Chandra had a lot to say about the state of the novel. The hour went […]
Headed up to Hartford for Colin McEnroe’s radio show.
Announcements, I make stuff up for a livingIt’s almost time to depart Bridgeport for Hartford, Conn. in order to appear on Colin McEnroe’s radio show at 1 p.m. As I wrote Friday, I will be appearing with three other authors to talk about the future of the novel. (Is it dying? Is it being cheapened by popular fiction?) If you want to […]
So excited: I will be on WNPR’s Colin McEnroe Show Monday.
Announcements, I make stuff up for a livingGuys. GUYS. I’m going to be on WNPR on Monday. On the Colin McEnroe show. On the radio. I will be on the air with three other CT authors: Chandra Prasad, Brian Slattery and Lucy Ferriss. We will be talking about the future of the novel with McEnroe, who is himself an author, at 1 […]
My galley proof is here, and I have a lot of feelings about it.
I make stuff up for a living, The Eagle & The ArrowThe proof of my new book, The Eagle and the Arrow, arrived on Monday, causing me so much agitation I couldn’t write for the rest of the day, so I took a bunch of photos that looked like this and posted them on Facebook and Twitter. Here’s the thing, though; excited as I am when […]
May: 2013 goals
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"It’s May! Winter is over for real-real, not for play-play! And it’s time to check in with my goals for this year. But first, let me distract you with the happiest music to come out of the ’90s, Moxy Früvous’s “King of Spain.” What? You’ve never heard of Früvous? You didn’t know ’90s music could […]
First look at the cover of my new book.
Announcements, The Eagle & The ArrowThe cover art for The Eagle & The Arrow is here! What I love about this cover is that although it’s visually similar to the cover of Beware the Hawk, I think it communicates the atmosphere of the second book beautifully. The Eagle & The Arrow continues the story started in Beware the Hawk, but […]
Mysterious Irish poetry: FOUND.
Reading RainbowYesterday I posted about a mysterious radio program I heard in the car on Sunday while driving through New York. The program was about Irish female poets and the divine feminine, and I couldn’t find it anywhere on the internet because I didn’t have call letters or a number for the radio station. Well, I […]
The Irish poetry that rescued me from radio hell… and then vanished.
Reading RainbowYesterday I was driving through radio hell. You know radio hell. It’s that strange piece of highway that separates one region’s radio stations from another’s. I was headed into New York and had left Connecticut’s frequencies behind me, and I was trying to find anything to listen to that wasn’t a duet by Fun. or […]
Read more
GeekeryI’ve been railing against sexism in fan art in the geek world, over at Geek Eccentric. This week’s installment is a g-chat interview with the administrator behind The Hawkeye Initiative. What’s the Hawkeye Initiative? It’s a Tumblr with fan drawings of the Avengers’ Hawkeye (who is a dude) twisted into the back-breaking, butt-baring poses that […]
My spirit animal is the Woolf.
Reading RainbowI recently read A Room of One’s Own and To The Lighthouse one after the other. After that, I felt like Virginia Woolf was sitting on my shoulder, keeping up a running commentary about everything I did. Which is a little annoying because when I’m counting calories I hear a little voice in my head […]
‘From These Ashes’: an interview with author Tamela Ritter
G-Chat interviewsI met Tamela Ritter about 10 years ago, in a writing group called Pencils! which met in a Barnes & Noble in Connecticut. We were allowed to bring five pages and read them aloud. The first thing I ever heard Ritter read was a scene featuring an injured young man, with no memory of his […]
April: 2013 goals
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"Well, I’m a few days late on my new year resolution update this month, which is appropriate, since March was a month of backsliding for me. I was not on time at least three times this month, I barely blogged, ate a lot of desserts and have been behind on marketing. The bright spots this […]
My Kindle DX’s breakdown will be just like the greatest literary disaster in history, as far as I’m concerned.
Reading RainbowMe: My Kindle! It’s dead! Nooo! No! This is terrible. This is like the Library of Alexandria burning down all over again. Oh. Wait. False alarm. It’s not dead. it just passed out again. Husband: Did you just compare your Kindle to The Library of Alexandria? That’s hyperbole. Me: Oh really. How do you know […]
Here, have my notes from AWP.
Geekery, WritingI’ve been on about last week’s AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) conference since I got back home on Sunday. I promise this will be my last blog post about it. Today I finally organized my notes from the panels I attended last week. Because I used Twitter for this (because it lets me […]
Tamela Ritter’s ‘From These Ashes’ is released today!
Announcements, WritingI am so excited. My friend Tamela Ritter’s novel, “From These Ashes” was released today! I will be writing about this more in the future, but I asked her for a quote about her first release so I could post about it, and here’s what she said: “Having a hard time wrapping my mind around […]
Tweed holds a stink, and other lessons from AWP
I make stuff up for a living, WritingI spent Wednesday through Sunday at a writing conference in Boston, and I have what you could probably call an AWP hangover. I am moving around my office slowly, shifting piles of literary journals from place to place, drinking a lot of water and trying hard not to take a nap on the keyboard. Because […]
(Even more) Blood and seashells
I have problems, I make stuff up for a livingSo the other day I posted about how I spent my Monday night up to my elbows in fake blood in our bathtub for the sake of my career. I took several photos for the cover of my e-short story about a killer sea god. Now the fake blood stains are finally fading from my […]
Fake blood & fro-yo: this is what happens when I try to self-publish.
I have problems, I make stuff up for a living, Life at Fort DavisSo this evening was my husband’s night out with the boys, and as usual, when he left the house looked normal and I was full of project ideas. When he came home, there was sand and fake blood all over the bathroom, the house was a disaster, and I was holed up in my office […]
March: 2013 Goals
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"It’s March 1 and that means I’m checking in with my New Years goals. As usual, I’m providing a distraction for the people who have no interest in such banal personal information and public self-shaming; please enjoy Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” as sung a cappella by Slovenians wearing purple: Now, on to the goals. My novel: […]
Fung-What? My favorite bus service is shut down.
Beware The HawkAs the author of a novella that features their services, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least post briefly that the Fung-Wah has been ordered to take its fleet off the road. By the feds. Which might not be a bad plot element for a third novella. According to my old employer The Boston […]
How to force inspiration, kind of. (And how I learned that my shower is NOT actually the Magic Idea Box)
My Process, WritingUPDATE, 2/27/13: I’ve gotten more comments about creativity from readers on my Facebook page, so I’ve added more comments to the bottom of this post. Enjoy! A few years ago, Wally Lamb spoke at my MFA program. One of the things Lamb mentioned in his keynote was that he got the idea for She’s Come […]
‘Good Things’: An interview with author Nick Knittel
G-Chat interviewsI expected someone older when I met Nick Knittel. It was 2009 and Knittel was part of my second-ever workshop at Fairfield University’s low-residency MFA program. He’d submitted a story about two little boys who’d lost their mother. Because the story featured a compassionate father, that’s kind of who I expected when I checked in […]
Haiku and a bag of Fritos
Anger is like food to me, Life at Fort Davis, My X chromosomesLast night, in a fit of oh-no-Valentines-Day-is-coming, I went online to the font of all DIY wisdom, Pinterest, to see if there are any new ideas for Valentines Day floating around the Internet. And you know what? I’ve discovered that the crafts that girls used to make for their boyfriends in high school are alive […]
The white party.
Life at Fort Davis, The BPTThere’s not been a lot of writing going on this weekend, but there has been a lot of shoveling. I just got in from what was probably my 10th stint of shoveling in more than 24 hours, and I’m not going to lie: it was awesome. I’ve mentioned before that I love shoveling. I realize […]
The things I never meant to learn.
WritingIt’s been a bad week for writing. It happens. Other stuff requires attention. Dogs need walking, kitchens need to be cleaned before the roaches find them, jobs expect you to punch in and punch out, mothers need calling, and students expect you to answer their questions. That’s life. But still, it’s been a bad week […]
A sequel update, and blogging for Geek Eccentric
Announcements, Beware The HawkIt’s Superbowl Sunday and I have some fattening snacks to make, so I will keep this brief. I got an email from my editor last night and the revisions to my Beware the Hawk sequel, The Eagle and the Arrow, are complete. The manuscript is headed to the copy editors now. This is exciting, because […]
February: 2013 goals
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"It’s February 1, and that means that for me, it’s time for a little accountability as I look back on my first month of progress on my goals for 2013. I’m going to be honest; although I made some progress, I’m not all that happy about the things I haven’t done. Don’t care about my […]
Prometheus brought fire; I give you this.
Anger is like food to meWhen exactly did we forget how to argue? Because we have forgotten. It seems like the goal of most of the arguments I’ve heard or seen lately haven’t had anything to do with hearing multiple sides of an argument, or solving a problem. Instead there’s been a single objective: to shut down the opposition. I […]
I’ll be at Books & Boos on Saturday, and I’m only reading the scary parts.
AnnouncementsIf you live in Connecticut and love to be frightened, you should probably take a drive up to Books & Boos in Colchester, a brand new bookstore, located in an old yellow house at a crossroads. The house is old enough to look as if it could be haunted, which would be appropriate, because the […]
I banned chocolate in my house this month and now there is a cheesecake in my fridge.
Life at Fort DavisI’m starting to get back on the calorie-logging diet I’ve been neglecting for a few months. So what am I going to do with half a homemade gluten-free cheesecake, handmade by a husband who doesn’t eat sweets but knows I love them? This is part of our pattern: I announce that I don’t want junk […]
Always nice to have help.
Life at Fort Davis, WritingSome people have hunting dogs. I’ve got a writing dog, or more accurately, a revision dog. Although really, her revisions consist of drooling on the mouse pad. But hey, a little dog-whispering and who knows? Maybe I can train her to point and bark whenever I use a weak verb or insert too large a […]
I shouldn’t have spent so many years avoiding ‘Pride & Prejudice.’
UncategorizedA long, long time ago, I stole my mom’s VHS tapes of PBS’s Pride & Prejudice miniseries and took them to college with me. My friends and I spent two nights watching it in the common room of our freshman dorm. I don’t think we got through all six hours, but we got far enough […]
Happy New Year: Goals and resolutions for 2013
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"It’s that time! Time wear sparkly shirts and drink sparkly drinks and hope that 2013 is going to be a sparkly year (but not in a Twilight way.) Last year’s decision to make goals rather than resolutions (and blogging about them monthly) worked so well for me that I’m planning to do it all over […]
Reading on Enders Island.
Beware The HawkI’m back from my MFA program’s alumni day, which welcomes alums back to Enders Island for a meal and a hangout and allows us to attend a seminar and pretend that we’re still in school. Today I took a poetry seminar. I’m not a poet, but the teacher of the seminar I took is Baron […]
Needing a little Christmas.
Life at Fort Davis, The BPTI am happy to report that Gandalf is looking down on me from the top of our tree as I type this, surveying from his uncomfortable perch, a living room that’s so overdecorated, you’d never believe that two grown-ups who aren’t hosting even one holiday party live here. Yeah. I kind of overdid Christmas this […]
The sequel! (Because guess what? There’s going to be a sequel.)
Announcements, Beware The HawkI am so excited to announce that there will be a sequel to Beware the Hawk! I signed the contract with my publisher, Vagabondage Press, on Sunday and have been working this week on the first round of edits and revisions. I’m super-excited to share this news, and plan to be posting this spring about […]
Spry is Live! (some favorites from the first issue of a new online journal.)
WritingA few months ago, I published an interview here with Erin Corriveau and Linsey Jayne, founders of Spry, a new literary journal that revels in the short form. Well, my friends, Spry* is live. Because Spry is about short powerful pieces, let me recommend three small pieces that pack a big punch: The Wake by […]
Sandy Hook: An essay, and some links that should be shared.
Jonesing for the NewsroomI’ve been trying to think of something to write here since the horrific violence that exploded in Newtown, a community only 15 minutes away from mine, on Friday. I’ve tried to think of something meaningful to add to the conversations about the tragedy that took the lives of 20 children, their educators, a mother and […]
December: 2012 goals.
WritingWell. This is it. The final check-in with my 2012 goals, which is delayed because I’ve been kinda lax these past few months. But still this is a big deal for me, because this is one of the few years in which I’ve held myself accountable for the resolutions I made at the start of […]
January appearance in Colchester, Conn. and other bookish news.
Announcements, Beware The HawkHello folks. Just a brief post to make a couple of announcements: First off, I will be appearing in January at Books and Boos, a brand spanking new bookstore in Colchester, Conn. I will be talking more about the appearance as it approaches, but here are the basics – I will be reading on Saturday, […]
Black Friday is like having a pack of cigarettes stashed in the freezer.
I have problemsFor a few years after I stopped smoking, I kept a pack of cigarettes in the freezer. I didn’t touch them, not because of any feat of willpower, but because I would have had to dig through a lot of frozen broccoli first, and even if I did get to them, they’d be cold and […]
What I’m thankful for.
Life at Fort DavisI am thankful for a wonderful husband. Every day with this man feels like a holiday. I am thankful for our two furry beasts, who serve not only as companions but working animals: The dog is a doorbell, a personal trainer and a confidence booster and the cat is a mouser, a foot warmer and […]
Quitting with a capital Q: an interview with Cordelia of Cordelia Calls it Quits.
G-Chat interviewsTwo Novembers ago, I stumbled onto a blog post that spoke to my soul. Someone called Cordelia was finding National Novel Writing Month to be a challenge; though she had no trouble plugging along at work she hated at the office, she had a difficult time sitting down to write her novel, even though she […]
I’m dreaming of a Gandalf the White Christmas.
Geekery, Life at Fort DavisToday, after another bout of house-hunting, my husband and I stopped in at the Goodwill to unwind and I saw this: Yes! Gandalf and Boromir. But not just Gandalf and Boromir. There were two Boromirs, two Aragorns, a Legolas and a facially deformed fellow that I can only guess, thanks to the process of elimination, […]
Taking a shot at relentless optimism.
Anger is like food to meI like positivity as much as the next person, and I try to stay positive on social media, because, well, it’s social media. If you have a Facebook account you’ve seen the virtual train wreck that happens when people go negative: grown-ups posting anonymous, passive aggressive messages as statuses, private grievances aired out before 500 […]
November: 2012 goals
WritingWell, I should have posted this monthly update on my New Years goals/resolutions a good two weeks ago, but thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I’ve been abandoning my blogging duties this month. But better late than never. Don’t care? Have a distraction: Busty Girl Comics, which has been cracking me up all year. On to the […]
Flood.
Life at Fort DavisThere is a kind of poetry in living without power. All the blankets in the house on one bed. Invigorating cold showers. A fire crackling in the grate all day. Tea lights in mason jars stationed all over the house. No Internet. No television. The company of good friends who play some cut-throat games of […]
I’m on the The Fairfield Writer’s Blog today!
My Process, WritingA few weeks ago, I sat down with Alex McNab, a novelist and journalist who writes for the Fairfield Writer’s Blog, to talk about revision and drink caffeinated beverages. McNab began reading The Garret a year and a half ago when I began revising my novel, and – since he’s revising his own novel – […]
The short form: An interview with the editors of ‘Spry,’ a new literary journal
G-Chat interviewsOn Monday, I had the pleasure of g-chatting with Erin Corriveau and Linsey Jayne, the founders of Spry, a brand new literary journal. I know both Erin and Linsey from our MFA program, and I was intrigued by their mentions on Facebook and Twitter of a new literary magazine dedicated to brief literature. As someone […]
Upcoming events, both actual and virtual.
AnnouncementsHello, hello! Just a quick post to make some announcements. Come see me in Fairfield next Wednesday! A week from today (Wedensday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.) , I will be at the Fairfield University bookstore downtown Fairfield to discuss and read from Beware the Hawk. If you’re in the area, come see me! I […]
October: 2012 goals
WritingOctober is here, and with it, weather that definitely feels like fall and not some watered-down version of summer, which is basically September’s jam, amirite? Despite the balmy weather of the last four weeks – which would normally lure me out of the house and away from my office – September brought on a stiffer […]
In which I beg for stars.
Beware The HawkNot stars, as in masses of incandescent gases. Stars as in Amazon and Goodreads reviews. Recently I’ve heard from a few fellow authors who have asked me and other readers to post reviews to the Internet. It struck me that I should probably be doing that, rather than just raving to them privately. Also, it […]
Making time to daydream (or, Aliens are more exciting than anxiety.)
Beware The Hawk, Craft essays I had to write for my MFA but made into blog posts, WritingI need some daydream time, or what Julia Cameron calls in The Artist’s Way an artist date, or what educators now call free play. Whatever you call it, I need to get back into the mental state I used to occupy as a kid, back when my head was filled with aliens, pirates and pegasi, […]
Honor societies, permenant hall passes, and the dangers of not checking your email.
I have problemsSo this week I got a voicemail telling me that I was extremely late (*ahem* two days past deadline *cough, cough*) in returning my form to accept my nomination to Alpha Sigma Nu, an honor society offered by Jesuit colleges. I had no idea what the caller was talking about, but I called her back […]
Publicity for me and a fellow MFA alum.
AnnouncementsCheck out the flier created for me and fellow Fairfield University MFA alumni poet (whew, that’s a mouthful) Colin D. Halloran. The kind people at our MFA alma mater, Fairfield U, put it together for us. Thank you, guys! I will be there on Oct. 10 and Colin will be there on Oct. 19. Colin’s […]
In defense of Amanda Palmer.
These posts don't have a homeAmanda Palmer (she’s a musician and used to front the Dresden Dolls) has recently come under fire for asking volunteers to play horns and strings at her shows on her Grand Theft Orchestra Tour. This is one of a series of unconventional tactics she’s undertaken recently. She used Kickstarter to great effect this year, raising […]
Help me decide what to talk about at my Oct. 10 appearance in Fairfield.
Beware The HawkHave I mentioned that I’m going to be reading from and talking about Beware the Hawk at the Fairfield University Bookstore yet? I will be there on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and instead of doing my regular reading from Beware the Hawk, I thought I’d try something that was suggested to me by author Matt Dicks. […]
A clean office is a bad thing for a writer.
WritingAnne Lamott, the author of Bird by Bird, opened one of her lectures with this: “I used to not be able to work if there were dishes in the sink. Then I had a child and now I can work if there is a corpse in the sink.” I don’t have a child, but man, […]
September: 2012 Goals
WritingSeptember? Already? Normally I like fall, but I’m having a hard time coming back from this summer. Maybe it’s because the last few months has been a blur of activity: I met half my in-laws for the first time, two close friends got married, several had children, I saw my college friends more than once, […]
This post is not funny. Because writing humor is hard, y’all.
WritingToday was the day that I was supposed to take a break from my labors and work on a humorous essay that I could sell/publish/give to a journal. Or any publication, really. I was looking forward to this task, because I like writing funny, because I needed a break from revising some decidedly unfunny parts […]
Appeal for a fellow writer.
WritingI should probably admit this up front: I’m a world-class ignorer of appeals. I hate them. Just ask my diocese or my undergrad alumni association. Ask my National Public Radio affiliate. So what I’m doing here, I know, is hypocritical. I’m posting an appeal. But it’s not for me. It’s for an author who needs […]
I am always terrified when I read aloud.
Beware The HawkJust a quick post to say that the event in Stamford last night went swimmingly. I got to hear some poets whose work was new to me and I read from Beware the Hawk, which is always nerve-wracking yet fun. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. I’m pretty much always terrified […]
Come see me tonight in Stamford, CT!
Beware The HawkHey kid, got a case of the Mondays? Let me see if I can help with that. Come down to Stamford, CT tonight. Why? I will be reading from Beware the Hawk at Barnes & Noble at the Stamford Town Center as part of the store’s monthly poetry night. The event begins at 8 p.m. […]
Mac and cheese, my old enemy, we meet again.
Anger is like food to meI cannot say it loud enough: I hate mac and cheese. Hate it. Detest it. Loathe it in the way some people shy away from rats or snakes or spiders. I don’t like spiders either but give me a choice between a house spider and a bowl of Kraft and I’ll take the spider every […]
August: 2012 goals
WritingIs it August already? Lord. I thought the summer had just started. I’d better get working on this Irish tan. The summer’s practically over and I’m not nearly red enough. Anyhow, it’s time (past time, actually) for the update on my resolutions for 2012. Not interested? Who could blame you? Click below for this month’s […]
Reading next Monday at Barnes & Noble in Stamford Town Center.
Beware The HawkHello everybody! This is a reminder that I am going to be appearing at a bookstore near you. Well, if you live in Stamford, Connecticut, that is. And I sincerely hope you do, because next Monday, at 8 p.m., I will be the featured reader at poetry night at the Barnes & Noble in the […]
Behold: The finalists of the Name My Character contest! Now I need you to vote.
Beware The HawkThe names are in! It’s been kind of a neat two weeks. I received a dozen name submissions which ran the gamut from Sarah (as in Sarah Connor) to Devon Sharktopus (thanks, Phil.) But alas, as in Highlander, there can be only one. And because I like to make up arbitrary rules, there can be […]
Reading in Mystic tomorrow – with some very impressive writers.
Beware The HawkTomorrow, at 4 p.m. on Enders Island at Mystic, I’m giving a reading with three of my published fellow Fairfield University MFA alumni. Each of them has achieved a huge career milestone this year. And when I talk about “huge,” I mean Godzilla-huge. Our line-up tomorrow almost sounds like a joke: “So a HarpersCollins memoirist, […]
Announcement time: Stamford appearance and reading in Mystic.
Beware The HawkIt’s on the Internets, so I feel like it’s probably time to announce this here: I will be the featured reader at the Stamford Town Center’s Barnes & Noble Poetry Night on Monday, August 13. The event starts at 8 p.m. There will be other readers before me and after me, but I will be […]
July: 2012 goals
WritingIt’s half-past the first of July already. I should probably post an update on my resolutions for 2012. For those who are just tuning in, feel free to tune right back out again. I post progress (or lack thereof) on my New Years goals every month. It’s something I do to hold myself accountable, but […]
Esther gets an “H.”
Life at Fort DavisMy dog is no longer Ester. She’s now Esther. Who cares, you say? I do. I care a lot. Because Esther is spelled with an h. And because I’m kind of a weirdo about names. I’m a synesthete (this is my excuse for everything) and the way people’s names are spelled makes an irrationally big […]
Retreating.
WritingI’m just back from what’s becoming one of my favorite writing events: The Helderberg Writers retreat. I’ve been to bigger writing events. I’ve gone to conferences and my MFA’s 10-day residencies. I covet a slot at Breadloaf or a similar prestigious retreat. But right now, the tiny group that meets at Helderberg is exactly the […]
Confessions of an American stereotype.
Life at Fort DavisWhen my husband and I went to Texas to visit his family last month, I teased him constantly about the stereotype of Texans liking everything – from their breakfasts to their vehicles – big. What I ignored at the time is that the rest of the world thinks this about all Americans, and there might […]
“I can’t wait for A.J.’s monthly update on her New Year’s Resolutions,” said no one.
Beware The Hawk, New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming", The Adjunct LifeWhich is why, although this is July 2, there is no resolution update here. Not today, at least. The fact of the matter is, I am teaching a blogging course for my community college’s extended studies program, and I’ve spent a lot of time on class prep. Ironically, the frequency of my own blog updates […]
Name my protagonist!
Beware The Hawk, ContestsI’m looking for a little help from my readers. And as usual, it will take the form of a contest. My book, Beware the Hawk, features an unnamed protagonist, because I really love not naming first-person narrators. Which works well sometimes but not always. It worked well for the original novella, but what if the […]
You can still have bad days when you work for yourself.
WritingBack when I used to work for a company, I always wanted to work for myself. I wanted to get away from other people’s stress, to not be told what to do, and to do more creative work than I had been doing. I wanted to work from a home office, make my own hours, […]
So, how does everyone else feel about prequels?
GeekeryYesterday, prompted by my trip to the movies to see Prometheus, I vented my spleen about how I hate prequels. Now I want to know how you all feel. Do you like them? Do you hate them? Do you not care, so long as you get to see more Duncan Idaho/Legolas/facehuggers/Lestat/Severus Snape? I’m curious.* [polldaddy […]
Prequels – when there’s nowhere to go but back.
GeekeryWhen I’m queen of the sci-fi universe, prequels will be the first works of fiction up against the wall. Rarely, in my experience, are prequels any good, except to deliver one more morsel of a franchise to a ravening fandom. I can’t remember a single prequel that’s advanced a plot, or developed a character more […]
Putting away the iPhone and stepping away from the laptop.
Beware The Hawk, Life at Fort Davis, WritingIn my book, I wrote a main character who is addicted to her iPhone. The character’s cell phone addiction was meant to be a commentary on all the people I saw hunched over their iPhone displays, gabbing about apps and texting their ways through life, rather than living it. I wrote the book before I […]
Being a Pinteresting author.
Beware The HawkIt’s taken me a while to embrace Pinterest, but I’m finally using it, and using it as an author, which is something I didn’t think I’d be able to do. But it appears to be working. I have three boards up right now. The one I’m proudest of is a Beware the Hawk board. Posted […]
My sorta-secret side job.
Life at Fort DavisI like to claim that I have no secrets. About a month ago, I was talking to my mother on the phone about how open I am about certain things. In fact we were probably talking about this blog. “Mom,” I said, proudly. “I have no secrets.” Maybe it’s my background in journalism that makes […]
Grimm facts about Snow White.
Geekery, My X chromosomesWhat is the deal with all the Snow White adaptations in 2012? This year has seen the release of two big screen versions of the fairy tale – Snow White and the Huntsman and Mirror, Mirror – and one television show, Once Upon A Time. This year has also seen the release of possibly the […]
June: 2012 goals
WritingI should have posted this days ago, but we were traveling and then I had to go away for a job this weekend. I probably could have blogged this from my phone, but I was lazy. Speaking of which, lazy was the name of the game in May. I don’t think I got anything accomplished […]
I’m back!
Life at Fort DavisIn case you were wondering where I’ve been* and why I left you with only Legolas the faithless elf for company, we’ve been on vacation. Instead of blogging here, I was writing a traveblog, which you can see here. While I was away, I shared the blog with a restricted group of Facebook friends, my […]
Dear Legolas, we need to talk.
GeekeryDear Legolas, It has recently come to my attention that – prior to, during and after your stint as my 10-year-old crush – you were seeing other girls. I am shocked. For all of my tenth year, when I was going through the hell that was fourth grade, you were my own personal, invisible boyfriend. […]
Arts & crafts, and my sad, embarrassing history with Photoshop.
Beware The HawkI do strange things for fun. In the last few days, when I haven’t been grading or planning for work, I’ve been playing with Photoshop, creating Beware the Hawk tee shirts for my Zazzle store, and then posting the link to my middle-of-the-night artwork to my Facebook page. Bad graphic design is how I cheat […]
The new tee shirt is here.
Beware The HawkWell, it took me long enough. More than a month ago, I asked readers what tee shirts they’d like to see in my store and promised to get the most popular one posted sooner rather than later. Well, it’s later. The new tee shirt isn’t a phonephobia design or a baby fever one. Those are […]
There’s always been a crowd in the ladies’ room.
My X chromosomesWhy do women go to the bathroom in groups? It’s supposedly the number one question men have about female behavior, right? Or at least it’s the most inoffensive one they can post on Facebook. I’ve heard this question an uncountable number of times since I was a teen. A quick search reveals that hundreds of […]
It’s a time for evaluation, and letters of recommendation …and other things ending in “ation.”
Geekery, Life at Fort Davis, The Adjunct LifeIt’s college finals time, a special time that only comes twice a year and, as the title of this post suggests, has certain traditions associated with it. Maybe that’s the reason I simply cannot concentrate on writing and revisions. The steady pace of the college semester is replaced by two weeks of constant motion for […]
May: Goals for 2012
WritingTomorrow’s May 1. Time for another round-up of my new year’s writing goals. I did pretty well on some of them (I actually submitted something) and completely ignored my big goals. Scroll on to join me for a quiet, writerly moment of accountability. Or, if you couldn’t care less, click below to watch badgers dance. […]
Beware the Hawk, in infographics
Beware The HawkThanks to my job, I’ve spent the last several days playing around with data visualizations and infographics. Tonight, I was fiddling around with word-related graphics that require a large block of text to work. I decided to use the first half of Beware the Hawk.* This was just an exercise to help me learn some […]
How a men’s magazine gave me confidence that Elle could not.
My X chromosomesI am a huge fan of the anti-plastic surgery, no-makeup, aging-naturally, don’t-retouch-my-photos movement that’s been taking hold among a small but significant number of celebrities. Kate Winslet, whom I thought was so beautiful when I first saw her in movies in the ’90s, is now 20 percent more awesome to me because she refuses to […]
Writing like crazy. And when I say “crazy,” I mean it.
My Process, WritingIf I haven’t posted here much in the last two weeks, it’s because I’ve been writing, and when I’m writing every day, I’m barely fit for human company outside of my writing groups and my paid work. In fact, writing and teaching is all I have energy for. I don’t call. I don’t write. I […]
Audio post: My husband’s truck.
Life at Fort Davis, PodcastsHave you met my husband’s truck? If you live in our neighborhood, you probably have. You’ve at least heard it. It’s loud. It’s a rusty ’77 Ford F-100, but most of the time we just call it The Truck or Big Blue. Sometimes, if I’m particularly irate with the truck, I just call it “It.” […]
“Dig, Don’t Fix”: Notes on revision from Robert McGuire
My Process, WritingLast week, I sat down with one of my writers’ groups to discuss the novel I’ve been working on. I’ve posted ad nauseum about my troubles revising this project, which served as my creative thesis when I graduated from the Fairfield MFA program. I tried retyping the novel. I read chapters in craft books. I […]
Time to make the tee-shirts.
AnnouncementsConfession time: I promised some new tee shirt designs for my store months ago and then life got busy and I did nothing. So I’d like to get a better selection of stuff posted. Not that anyone ever goes to the store, but still, I like to have options for the three people a month […]
Baby fever: it’s real, it’s weird, and it’s the reason I’m still awake.
My X chromosomesWe’re not planning to have a family anytime soon. Kids have never been high on my priority list. Yet, recently,I’ve been dreaming of babies. Remind you of anyone? Ally McBeal and her dancing baby, perhaps? If only my baby danced. Mine screams. There’s always a crisis in these dreams. I either cannot clothe or feed […]
April: Goals for 2012.
WritingIt’s the first of April and I’ve completed all my 2012 goals! Okay, fine. April Fools. In fact, I have bombed on a few of my goals, and must modify a few if I am to continue with this experiment. Here they are. If you’re bored by New Years resolutions posts, leave now. Here, have […]
Writing and Internet avoidance
My Process, WritingThis is just a brief post, which I’m submitting from my phone as kind of an experiment. First of all, I’m posting from my phone to see how well blogging-on-the-go works. Secondly, I want to show you my writing set-up for the day, because it’s ridiculous. This is what I’ve been reduced to in order […]
Last night’s author event at the Watertown Library.
Beware The HawkWow. I’m still a little overwhelmed by last night’s reading at the Watertown Library. Going into the event, I was having nightmares that I’d walk in to see hundreds of folding chairs and that only a few would be filled by my family and by the folks who work at the library. In reality I […]
My first reading is today.
Beware The HawkToday is a big day for me. It will be my very first “author event,” a reading and discussion of e-books at the Watertown Library. I posted once that I get stage fright before every class I teach. Well, I’ve got stage fright now. Part of my brain is babbling incoherently about having to stand […]
Scavenger Hunt winners: The battle for supremacy.
Beware The HawkRemember yesterday, when I posted the scavenger hunt winners? I posted a list of all the people who participated, and the number of missions in which they participated. This list (which shall from this point on be referred to “The Leaderboard,” to make it seem cooler than it really is) looked like this at 11:30 […]
Paperback!
Beware The HawkThis is just a quick post to say oh my god the book is out. I realize that I said that when Beware the Hawk was released on Jan. 17 as an e-book. But I’m saying it again, because it’s out as a physical book right now. I just checked both Vagabondage Press’s site and […]
Scavenger hunt winners!
Beware The HawkIt’s here! The 20th is here! That means two things: 1) My book is available as an actual, tangible volume. Look for it here! 2) You never have to see another scavenger hunt blog post from me again. (At least not for this book.) Yay! It also means that we have scavenger hunt winners. Now, […]
Scavenger hunt, day 10; An impressive tattoo.
Beware The HawkWe’re in the home stretch. Today is the tenth and final day of the scavenger hunt. Tomorrow, Beware the Hawk becomes available at Vagabondage Press and tomorrow I will announce the winners of the hunt! But that is tomorrow. Today, I am looking for one more item from you scavengers – a photo of a […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 9: Bring the pain.
Beware The HawkFor day nine of the scavenger hunt, I’m not actually going to ask you to hunt for anything, but I am going to ask you to share a memory. Of pain. My protagonist in Beware the Hawk has an ankle injury for pretty much the whole book. Tell me about a time you had to […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 8: Shamrocks!
Beware The HawkHappy St. Patrick’s Day! We’ve been scavenger hunting for a week now! A few more days and the hunt will be over. Today’s challenge is easy. Take a picture of a shamrock, but it has to be a purple shamrock. I don’t care how you get it to be purple, but it needs to be […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 7: The List of Craig
Beware The HawkIt’s day seven of the scavenger hunt and I want you to scour the Internet for today’s mission. The protagonist in Beware the Hawk is a courier for a secret anti-government group called The Resistance. She found this job by responding to an intriguing ad on Craigslist. So today I’d like you to find an […]
I get my first proof, and get very excited about some very local press.
Beware The Hawk, Jonesing for the NewsroomRemember how yesterday, I posted that my proof for the physical copy of Beware the Hawk was coming very soon? Well it did – I got it yesterday, and everyone who follows my Facebook fan page was forced to look at a crazy photo of me holding it. It was amazing. I ran around the […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day Six: The haiku challenge.
Beware The HawkBefore I share today’s challenge, a bit of news: I heard from my editor yesterday afternoon, and she tells me that I’ll be getting the proof for the physical copy of Beware the Hawk very soon! I’m curious to see what that will look like, since Beware the Hawk is less than 50 pages long. […]
The G-Chat Dispatch
G-Chat interviewsYou ever find yourself g-chatting* with a master? You know what I’m talking about; you find yourself in a chat with someone who is really good at chatting; you just know that he or she cut their teeth on AOL Instant Messenger in school and has been honing those skills – like Rocky, running up […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 5: There’s an app for that
Beware The HawkThe iPhone plays a big role in Beware the Hawk. I know, I know. I’m perpetuating the Apple iCulture in which we all live. I’m going to defend the inclusion of the iPhone in my plot by saying two things: a) Apple didn’t pay me to make their phone into a tool of fictional dissidents, […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 4: Happy hour at the dive bar
Beware The HawkThat’s right. For day four of the scavenger hunt, I want you to take a photo of a bar, the seedier, the better. The sort of bar that might have served as inspiration for this song. Then tweet the photo to me (@ann_oconnell) with the hashtag #bewarethehawk. Or post it to my author page on […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day Three: Chinatown
Beware The HawkYesterday, we talked about the Fung-Wah, and I was sent this fabulous account of a scary 2006 bus trip by Ally. That was yesterday. Today I want you to go down to Chinatown. You don’t have to go literally, but for day three of the scavenger hunt, send me a photo of Chinatown. A lot […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 2: The Fung-Wah
Beware The HawkUPDATE: I was sent a photo of a lady with colorful hair on Saturday and I missed it because I’m an eejit who clearly doesn’t understand how Facebook Timeline works. I want to post her photo now. Behold! The aqua coif of Mary-Jo Bates, whose eloquent thoughts you can find here. Now, on with the […]
Scavenger Hunt, Day 1: A hair color not found in nature
Beware The HawkIt’s day one of the Beware the Hawk scavenger hunt and your first mission is this: Snap me a photo of a woman with a hair color not found in nature. Okay, okay. I know that most colors are found in nature if you look hard enough. And I know that pink, the color of my […]
Go on a Beware the Hawk scavenger hunt with me!
Beware The HawkThis blog is at least 70 percent better when when my readers participate and send me stuff. So, in that spirit, I’m announcing a contest. Actually, it’s better than a contest. It’s a scavenger hunt to celebrate the release of Beware the Hawk, as a physical book! From tomorrow, March 10, until the release of […]
I’m reading at the Watertown Library! (And not silent reading like when I used to do my homework there.)
Beware The HawkLadies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that I will be doing my very first reading in just a little less than two weeks at the Watertown Library in Watertown, Connecticut. This reading, which will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday March 28, will be very special because Watertown is kind of my […]
Fabulous book news!
Beware The HawkLast week I spoke to my editor at Vagabondage Press and she delivered some fabulous news: Beware the Hawk is coming to print on March 20! This won’t come as a surprise to the people who follow my Facebook author page; they hear just about all my news just about as soon as it happens, […]
How to revise a novel, according to my commenters.
WritingSo, I hear (via the #AWP12 hashtag on Twitter) that last night, Margaret Atwood brought the house down at AWP with her keynote speech. I cried a little on the inside when I read those tweets, because I love Margaret Atwood and I’m sad that this was her year to be at AWP and my […]
March: Goals for 2012
WritingIt’s the first of March. I am happy to report that one of my 2012 goals has been checked off. Granted it was the goal that I had the least control over, but it’s always nice to see anything crossed off a list. Here we go. As an aside, if you’d like to read something […]
Writers, do you have tips for revising a novel or memoir?
My Process, WritingLast night, I blogged about my horror of revising something as sprawling as a novel. Revising Beware the Hawk wasn’t so bad – it’s a novella. But a 300 page novel? That’s a project. Now I want to ask the writing community: How do you go about your revisions? Do you revise chapter by chapter? […]
Revisions scare me.
My Process, WritingRight now I’ve got a knot in my stomach because the manuscript for my novel is out to one of my writers’ groups. I gave it to them last month, and recently, two of the writers emailed to admit that they hadn’t yet read it. And I replied with something like: “Aw shucks, that’s fine, […]
My fiction: Where the boys aren’t.
WritingUPDATE (9:32 PM, EST): Rebuttal time! Read Phil Lemos’s take on our meeting, our disagreement and on writing women characters here. Yesterday, I met with one of my writers’ groups and was accused of misandry. My piece – a short story about a woman who becomes obsessed with a man who has disappeared – was […]
Almost like being interviewed by the Paris Review.
Beware The Hawk, Geekery, My Process, WritingI want to share something extraordinary with you. Yes, it’s another interview, and no, I don’t think it’s extraordinary because it’s an interview with me. It’s extraordinary because of the sheer amount of effort the interviewer put into the piece. This is an interview with writer Robert McGuire. Robert is a CT-based writer and a […]
Bloggers’ block.
WritingI have bloggers’ block. Lately, all I’ve been able to do is blog about the various guest posts and interviews and reviews that I’ve been doing for my book’s blog tour. Don’t get me wrong – those posts are absolutely fabulous, but this blog is about so much more. It’s about paranoia, synesthesia, the zodiac, […]
Imaginary interviews are fun; real interviews are much better.
Beware The HawkThere is a scene in The Commitments in which the main character is doing an interview with an invisible journalist while he’s in the bathtub.It is one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema because I’ve been doing interviews like these since early childhood. http://youtu.be/41L0uedGlf8 Mine usually went like this: “Q: A.J., tell me […]
You can’t read a review of your book when you’re standing in front of a class.
Beware The HawkOn Mondays, I have kind of a crazy schedule. I do a lot of work from home during the day, and then I teach a three hour class in the evenings, so I almost forgot to look for this review of Beware the Hawk from Brooke of Books Distilled. Truth be told, I didn’t even […]
This review is the best kind of peer review.
Beware The HawkIf the analytics on this blog are correct, no one visits the blogosphere on the weekend, because they’re out in the world, experiencing real life. That’s as it should be, but I’m posting on a Saturday night anyhow, because I just got a wonderful reader review for Beware the Hawk, and I have to share. […]
Erin of Reinventing Erin interviews me.
Beware The HawkToday represents Day Two of my blog-tour sojourn over at Reinventing Erin. Yesterday, I guest posted about the fears I had when the e-book was published, and today Erin’s been kind enough to interview me about my novella Beware the Hawk. Who is Erin, you ask? Erin is a classmate of mine from the Fairfield […]
After a brief hiatus, the blog tour for my novella continues.
Beware The HawkThe Beware the Hawk blog tour continues today over at Reinventing Erin. It’s been a few weeks since I had a guest post, but now it’s time for Round Two! The delightful Erin Corriveau invited me return to her Defining Moments series with a guest post. I’ve already guested on this series (I posted about […]
A little accountability please: New Year’s resolutions, month one.
WritingIt was not my intention to post this evening. I had instead planned to kick up my heels at the casino, but I’m killing off the remainder of the cold that was bugging me at the beginning of the week, so I’m home, hanging with Phyllis. I was berating myself for for not updating my […]
Dear college professors, I’m sorry I never truly appreciated you.
Jonesing for the NewsroomI was an indifferent student. It’s true. I shouldn’t admit this, because now some of my own college students are subscribed to this blog, but I was woefully immature as a college freshman. I grumbled at assigned readings, as if they were a punishment rather than a necessary part of a course. In-class exercises were […]
Return to real life, and my novel.
My Process, WritingWow, last week’s release for Beware the Hawk was crazy in a I-tricked-myself-into-thinking-I’m-a-celebrity kind of way. I received emails and messages and comments from all sorts of people about my book, I mailed out signed Post-Its to people who wanted “signed” copies of the e-book, I hosted a giveaway and did the first four dates […]
Guest blog on Word for Words, and the winners of the giveaway.
Beware The Hawk, ContestsAlas, Spy Week has come to a close, but what a close! Today I did a guest post on Word for Words, the blog of fellow Fairfield University MFAer Adele Annesi. It touches on the worries I had about my first published book being genre fiction, especially right after my graduation from an MFA program […]
Bearded ladies are all winners.
Contests, GeekeryI have two contests going on this blog right now. This post will announce the winners of the Bearded Lady contest. The Spy Week giveaway winners will be announced later in the day. Promise. Remember when you were in summer camp and there was a contest of some kind? And you got all nervous and […]
Ending Spy Week with a bang. And by “bang” I mean “giveaway.”
Beware The Hawk, ContestsOr more in keeping with my character’s dilemma, I’m ending Spy Week with a crunch. Remember when I said I was having a hard time telling people what my book is about? I’ve had to summarize my novella a lot of different ways since then, but if you get right down to it, it’s basically […]
Day three of the blog tour and my first review ever.
Beware The HawkDay three of the blog tour takes us back to Wordvagabond, where I got my very first book review from the proprietess, Ally. I’m not gonna lie – I’ve been nervous about this aspect of the blog tour – knowing that your work is going to be reviewed is an exciting and scary feeling. It’s […]
Beard contest update.
Contests, GeekeryLet me take a break from writing about my book and return to a topic of some importance: equality for Middle-Earth drwarven women. Some of you might remember that I’m hosting a beard contest. I’m asking people to send me beards of protest (or solidarity.) Click here for more information. The contest ends on Jan. […]
Spy week and day two of the blog tour at the Book Den.
Beware The HawkThe book release so far has been a thundering success. I have gotten so many kind comments, people telling me that they’ve bought the book, people sharing information about my book and folks requesting signed Post-Its. (I’m still doing that, folks! Send me your addresses and I will mail you a signed Post-It. Because that’s […]
The book is out and the blog tour begins at Word Vagabond!
Beware The HawkHi everybody! So, it’s my official release date today – the long-waited 17th and I can finally consider myself a published author. If that weren’t exciting enough, today my blog tour kicks off! I was interviewed last night by the awesome Ally Arendt over at WordVagabond, and the questions were quite comprehensive. We covered everything […]
Sure looks different in here.
Anger is like food to meWhy yes. Yes it does. I’m writing this post in the spirit of sites like Facebook and YouTube, which accompany every site change with an idiotic series of messages and pop-up windows: “We’re making some changes ’round here!” or “We’re sure you’ll love our updates!” I’m not sure you’ll love my updates. I’m not sure […]
Phyllis the couch is held for ransom.
Life at Fort DavisSo it’s Friday the 13th, and that means the second week of January is drawing to a close and that means that Phyllis the couch is supposed to be sitting in our living room, but she isn’t, and I’m pretty irritated about it. (If you don’t know who Phyllis the couch is , check out […]
Send me your beards!
Beware The Hawk, Contests, Geekery, My X chromosomesNot your real beards. Keep those on your faces. Please. I want you to send me your “protest beards.” What am I talking about? Good question. This past weekend, I posted about the horrible injustices faced by dwarf women in Middle-Earth. That post – which featured faux PSA photos of me in a faux beard […]
The Lonely Mountain is much lonelier when you’re a girl dwarf.
Geekery, My X chromosomes, Reading RainbowAnd by “dwarf” I mean the mythical variety, featured in The Hobbit, not the medical condition. I’ve been pretty deep in the work of J.R.R. Tolkien lately. My husband and I just finished reading The Hobbit aloud this evening, taking a chapter or two every day after dinner. Simultaneously, I’ve been reading the Lord of […]
Book update.
Beware The HawkHello folks. Just a brief Sunday post to let you all know that Vagabondage Press has a book page up now for my novella Beware the Hawk. Here it is! The page is up, but orders won’t be taken until Jan. 17. The publishers and I are reaching out to book bloggers now, and I’m […]
Me and My Panic Attack: What Fresh Hell is This?
I have problemsThis afternoon, I think I had a mild panic attack. I don’t know for sure if it was a panic attack because I’ve never had one before and I sure didn’t think I’d be getting one any time soon. My breath became short, my heart pounded, my hands shook and I started to stutter. I […]
Writerly goals and personal battles for the new year.
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"On New Year’s Eve, I posted about a minor resolution dilemma. I was torn between posting a list of New Year’s resolutions and checking in monthly on this blog to report progress or using 2012 to work on some major inner conflicts. Since I’m the sort of person who likes to have her cake and […]
Cover art is here! (as is a finalized publication date.)
Beware The Hawk, WritingI was going to write a nice, well-thought-out post about what I had finally decided to do about my New Years resolutions, but instead I’m just going to post these two things. First, the publication of Beware The Hawk, is set for Tuesday, Jan. 17. Vagabondage Press will be releasing it as an e-book as […]
New Years resolutions or New Years conflict resolutions?
New Years goals, and by "goals," I mean "self-shaming"For a while now, I’ve been feeling that it’s time to embrace New Year’s resolutions. I’ve also been thinking that this blog might be a good place to do this. I know. New Years resolutions are boring. I can practically feel all of you unsubscribing. But I have a model for this plan and an […]
In which I bite the bullet and say what my upcoming book is about.
WritingI often deliberately forget that I am having a novella published (in e-book form) in January. The book is called “Beware the Hawk,” and it’s being published by Vagabondage Press and I really am very excited, but you’d never know it because over the Christmas holiday, I didn’t talk about it unless someone else brought […]
Putting the “me” into “meme.”
Blogging about blogging is so metaI’ve been tagged in a meme by the estimable blogger Erin C., and while I don’t like to participate in memes because – like the chain letters of old – I hate passing them on to others, I feel I must acknowledge this one. Why? Because Erin is wonderful, I have a lot of respect […]
My name is O’Connell.
Anger is like food to meThe holiday cards are a-rollin’ in, and there is no better reminder of the confusion surrounding my name than the various addressees on the envelopes. So far, this season, I’ve been Ann O’Connell, Mrs. My-Husband’s-Name, Ann O’Connell-Husband, Mrs. Ann Husband. If our vet sends us a card, I will be Ann O’Connell, but my husband […]
NaNoWriMo – Lagging behind
WritingLike a runner in a marathon who stops for a drink of water handed out by some nice volunteer and then decides to stoop and tie her shoes, only to realize that she’s looking at the backs of all the people she was previously in front of, I am falling behind in my bid to […]
Nanowrimo, or typing with my eyes closed.
WritingI’ve been behind in National Novel Writing Month. I don’t have a list of my worst sentences from each day for you, as I did last week, because I haven’t been able to write every day this past week. I have, however, mostly managed to write enough words to fulfill my daily word count. I’ve […]
NaNoWriMo is like a fairy tale, and there are some scary fairy tales out there.
WritingAfter 7 days of writing, I am 11010 words into my National Novel Writing Month project. I’ve learned some things about myself in that time. Mostly, I’ve learned that I can’t really write for Nanowrimo until it’s past my bedtime. Example: I spent a good part of the day on Friday trying to write my […]
NPR & TMZ? OMG!
Jonesing for the NewsroomI consume many different kinds of media. I read my local newspaper in the morning, I follow several journalists on Twitter, read various news websites throughout the day and I read magazines like the New Yorker. Two sources of news, however, command more of my attention than any other. I’ll tell you about the one […]
Weekly worsts – National Novel Writing Month
WritingI think I might have mentioned in my last post that National Novel Writing Month is not about quality; it’s about quantity. A group of friends and I celebrate this, by exchanging our best and worst sentences at the end of each day of National Novel Writing Month. We started this years ago, when most […]
National Novel Writing Month (and dinosaurs)
WritingIn two hours, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo to those in the know) will begin. In two hours, people all over the globe will start typing furiously in an effort to complete a 50,000-word manuscript by the end of November. So will I. It’s pretty insane; the goal is to write 1667 words every day […]
Why I’m done doing things conventionally.
Anger is like food to meThis is a story about a couch. Actually, this is a story about a search for a couch, and what it taught me about doing business the conventional way. This weekend, my husband and I had to find a replacement for Horace, the couch that currently sits in our living room. Horace, unlike most couches, […]
Democrat for a Day
Jonesing for the Newsroom, The BPTI enjoy being not being registered with any political party. I like to think of myself as a political free agent, always free to vote for the candidate I like best, rather than feeling bound by party loyalty. As a journalist, I feel like it’s responsible for me to remain unaffiliated. But today, my civic […]
Play time.
WritingRecently, one of my friends mentioned to me that being a grown-up is no fun. She’s right. Adulthood can be a mean cocktail of responsibility, mortality and self-doubt. Still, her comment makes my inner five-year-old cringe. Why? Because that five year-old didn’t grow up to be disappointed by adult life. That five year-old grew up […]
Published, or Can I get a “yay”?
WritingSo recently, this blog’s been a big ol’ mess of me complaining about things. Waah, Irene. Waaah, FEMA. Waaaah, writer’s block. Waaaaaaah, grocery shopping. No more! I’ve stowed my box of Kleenex and called off the waahmbulance, because I’ve got some fabulous news. On Sunday, I received an email from Vagabondage Press, a small, independent […]
FEMA visit
Life at Fort Davis, The BPTYesterday, the claims adjuster from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (we’ll just call it FEMA) came to the house. He was very nice, and like many of the people who’ve come through my neighborhood in the past few weeks (American Red Cross volunteers, distributors of FEMA information) he hailed from a faraway state. He walked […]
Life after the MFA, or Where has all the writing gone?
My Process, WritingEvery morning I write myself a to-do list. The list usually reads something like this: Walk dog, email insistent but upbeat reminders out to students, check in with Editor A, remind Editor B I am still alive, call sources, haul trash to car, RSVP for two weddings, call more sources, go to work. And then, […]
The Grocery War
Anger is like food to meI hate the grocery store. In our house, Stop & Shop is referred to as The Evil Empire, and couponing is considered a noble form of guerilla warfare which predates the extreme couponing reality TV shows of last year. We’re taking money out of the pockets of the Empire, right under the nose of the […]
The longest day.
Jonesing for the NewsroomI wasn’t going to write this post. I really wasn’t. I don’t have a good story to tell. I didn’t live in New York at the time. I didn’t lose anyone. I didn’t rescue anyone. I wasn’t even awake at the time the first airplane hit the twin towers. But after Phil Lemos’s post about […]
Old photos.
The BPTWe’ve been on a cleaning and drying spree after Hurricane Irene let part of the Atlantic ocean into our basement. Let there be no illusions about this work – the basement clean-up has been a long, long time in coming. Irene and her shenanigans merely forced our collective hand. If you want an idea of […]
Storm Surge
UncategorizedWe were going to stay. We might have been fine if we stayed. But when the City of Bridgeport ordered a mandatory evacuation on Saturday afternoon to people in my neighborhood ahead of what was, at that point, Hurricane Irene, I decided that we weren’t going to take our chances with the storm. We packed […]
Out of the woods
My Process, WritingThis isn’t going to be a super-long post. It’s not going to be like my criz-azy long essay on Home Ec class, or how the story of the immaculate conception used to terrify me. This is going to be a relatively short, Phil Lemos-like post about what I did this evening. Tonight, I finished a […]
Blocked.
Anger is like food to meRecently I’ve begun to suspect that I’ve been rejected. Someone may have blocked me on Facebook. And not just one someone, but maybe as many as five someones. Maybe even more. And it’s eating my lunch. But my real problem is not that five people may have blocked me on Facebook. I’m irritated because I’m […]
The Home Ec Retrospective
These posts don't have a homeThis weekend I did a couple of things that I don’t do often. I baked meringues for my husband as part of a you-do-yard-work-and-you-get-cookies arrangement. I also — in a desperate and probably vain attempt to extend the lifespan of my favorite cut-off shorts — sewed a patch and re-sewed a seam. Both of these activities […]
Still hungry for ‘Flesh’? Much more at Books Distilled!
Reading Rainbow, WritingGreat minds think alike! Little did I know (until 10 minutes ago) that Brooke, the voracious reader who maintains the Books Distilled blog was also writing about Hollis this week. What are the odds? Brooke, a talented novelist who is being mentored by Hollis this semester, reviewed Flesh (far more comprehensively than I) and interviewed […]
Making time for work, or, This novella ain’t gonna revise itself.
Anger is like food to me, My Process, WritingToday, I’ve spent a lot of time dodging people, and trying to make the time to write and revise. It’s imperative that I make the time work today, because I have a half-revised novella on my hands, and I’m due to send it out next week. The prose ain’t gonna polish itself, amirite? But for […]
Book post – “Flesh” by Hollis Seamon
WritingTwo weeks ago, we went camping in the Berkshires with a group of friends. Since I’d just graduated, it was the first time I’d been on this camping trip without a book I had to read. So I picked up a book that I’d been meaning to read for a year: Flesh, by Hollis Seamon, […]
Mowing the lawn.
My X chromosomesToday I mowed the lawn. I know this is not a big deal to most people. I know that most people view mowing as a nuisance. But I’ve never mowed before, so I came out of the experience feeling like a bad-ass. The whole thing started this morning, when I returned from my daily walk […]
What my MFA program gave me.
WritingOn Saturday, I graduated from my MFA program in Mystic, Connecticut. We had one more day at the residency, and now, I’m settling down to eat some lunch and do some laundry at home. I want to reflect on the program in a post, but because I’m still a little fried from 10 days of […]
Brother
These posts don't have a homeOne of my first memories is of either standing or being carried down a wall of baby toys in Toys R’ Us by my father or by an uncle. I’m two and a half years old. It’s November. I’m staring at that wall of toys because I have a job to do, an honest-to-goodness task, […]
Nightmare
WritingLet me set the scene for you. It’s the end of days. The sky is orange. Silver saucers zip across the horizon, making pew-pew noises as they fire lasers at buildings. The landscape is catching fire and curling in on itself, like that paper city in Adele’s Rolling in the Deep video. The latest rumors […]
In which the author is confused by Linkedin
These posts don't have a homeEarly this morning, I got my latest invitation to join Linkedin. I get a lot of these, because I’m not on Linkedin. The very first request came a few years ago, when I was working at a newspaper and an old source sent me monthly requests to join Linkedin. I got one every month for […]
Writing recess
WritingA couple weeks ago, I sat across from one of my professors at a coffee shop. We were discussing my novel. I had just finished the first draft of it and I was obsessing over several minor plot points because I’d shown it to a couple of writers’ groups and gotten conflicting reactions. My professor […]
The closet purge
Life at Fort DavisI’m cleaning out my closet this week. It’s long overdue. I’ve been ignoring the warning signs: My shoe rack bent the nails holding it to the wall and came crashing down, I can’t shut one of my closet doors, and I can’t find my favorite black tank top anywhere. That last one really clinched it. […]
Gluten is a cruel and scrumptious mistress.
I have problemsAt some point in the last several days, I ingested gluten. I think I know when it happened, and I don’t regret eating that meal because it was delicious. Gluten (the sticky protein in wheat) is always delicious. Well, it’s always delicious to me. That’s because I haven’t eaten gluten on purpose in almost eight […]
Novels – they grow up so fast.
My Process, WritingI’m still struggling to bring my novel to a close. Tonight, for some inspiration, I dragged out the short story that eventually became my novel. I wrote the story last spring, and a year ago, turned it in as a workshop sample for my MFA program. It’s a strange little piece. I’m not exactly sure […]
The elusive ending.
My Process, WritingAs my MFA program winds down, I’m seeing lots of members of my cohort (that’s MFA-speak for “my class”) writing Facebook statuses that look like this: Joe Schmo has typed the last words. Jane Doe sending her thesis out, OMG collapsing brb. BobTodd just typed THE END. I’m going to be honest. While I’m happy […]
Say my name: guest bloggery at ReinventingErin.com
Blogging about blogging is so metaToday, I am the guest blogger of the fabulous Erin Corriveau over at her site Reinventing Erin. Erin, is a non-fiction writer and a fellow student at Fairfield University’s MFA program. In the last month, she asked a group of bloggers to write guest posts on the theme of self-reinvention. My post explores the moment, […]
Coming soon – guest bloggery over at ReinventingErin.com
Blogging about blogging is so metaJust a quick update to let you all know that on Monday, I get to be the guest blogger of the fabulous Erin Corriveau over at her site Reinventing Erin. Erin, a fellow student at Fairfield University’s MFA program, is a veteran blogger and non-fiction writer. She asked a group of bloggers to write guest […]
The reluctant grammarian.
Anger is like food to me, WritingI hate wasting my time on grammar. As a student, I rolled my eyes whenever a teacher pointed out a grammatical error. Though I was an English nerd as a student, I was one of those lazy kids who became indignant when a science teacher had the temerity to point out and then — oh […]
Freedom!
WritingI’m back! I was absent from this blog for a good month because I was finishing my thesis ( my novel) for my MFA in creative writing. It felt damn near impossible to spend any amount of time writing anything but my novel, or any of the associated bits and bobs that go along with […]
Twitter failures/Twitter ninjas
Anger is like food to me, WritingA few months ago, I began spending a lot of time on Twitter. Part of the reason for this was that my mother joined Facebook, and I started being a little more careful about my posts there. (Sorry, Mom.) Part of it was that I’d attended a conference that made great use of the micro-blogging […]
Me and my inner monkey
My X chromosomesAt the end of January, Cordelia Calls It Quits wrote a great post about the Inner Two Year Old. We all have an inner something. Inner children. Inner bitches. Inner lizards (or, if you want to get all technical, the reptilian brain.) I have an inner monkey. Go ahead and laugh. But before you start […]
Brazil
Anger is like food to meLast night, we watched the worst movie I’ve seen in a while: Brazil. I had been excited about this film. I like Terry Gilliam, and I’m a fan of Metropolis and 1984 and Dr. Strangelove. Netflix put all those things together and decided I would love Brazil. But the strongest recommendation came to me a […]
The sneak synesthete
I have problemsI feel kind of like my brain gave me a present this week. On Tuesday, I learned that I’m a synesthete. One of my friends shared this article, “Your name tastes like purple” on Facebook. “Uck,” I thought. “I really hope my name doesn’t taste like purple.” That should have been a sign. Synesthesia, I […]
Valentine’s Day at the movies.
GeekeryIt’s Valentine’s Day and I’m willing to bet a ton of cheap chocolate that a lot of people will be watching romantic films this evening. Rom-coms, tearjerkers, An Affair to Remember. The Notebook. Anything with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in it. All of that will be hot property on Netflix streaming video tonight. But […]
Why I Tweet
Jonesing for the Newsroom, WritingIt seems like every time Twitter comes up in conversation, at least one person wants to know what it is and why it’s important to be Twitter-literate (Twitliterate? Twiterate?) Why, when there are so many ways to communicate, would you join a service that allows you to write only 140 characters worth of text at […]
A question for bloggers.
WritingThis is a question for other bloggers. I’m not sure what the etiquette is regarding social media and blog promotion. Earlier today, I posted to my blog. As is my custom, I posted a link to the post on Twitter and to my Facebook profile. One of my friends then complained that I was spamming. […]
Shutting down the Internet is bad, shutting down journalists is worse.
Jonesing for the NewsroomUPDATE: Anderson Cooper and two AP correspondents were beaten today in Egypt. Their stories are reported in the US because they are Americans, but other journalists of other nationalities are being arrested, deported and abducted. Now don’t get me wrong. I know everyone in Cairo right now is in danger. But because I’ve been a […]
Shoveling
UncategorizedI woke up with a plan this morning: Coffee, shoveling, novel, in that order. My plans to shovel were thwarted the instant I got out the door. I loaned the snow shovel to one of the neighbors, who is from a warmer clime and who looked like he needed to dig out his car in […]
The blue chair saga
I have problemsThis is a rant about, of all things, the blue chair in my office. It’s a paradise of a reading chair. There’s a lamp above it. There’s an ottoman. There’s a basket filled with magazines. There’s another basket filled with knitting supplies. There’s a nearby table with a fan on it for the heat in […]
There was more to this post, but I’ve cut it.
Geekery, WritingI’ve been writing and revising for the past few days, and I’ve noticed: the more words I cut, the better my stories. Good sections become stronger. Bad sections disappear. I’m beginning to think the only perfect story is an empty page. With that somewhat dadaist thought, I leave you.
Writer Wednesday: Loving Flannery.
Craft essays I had to write for my MFA but made into blog posts, WritingI love Flannery O’Connor, and that makes me a member of a very big club. Most writers I know list her as one of their inspirations. I liked O’Connor before I even read her work, for one very superficial reason: Our names are similar. If I look at her book from across the room and […]
For 2011: A little more hot chocolate, a lot less stress.
WritingToday, one of my plans fell through. I can’t identify the plan on this blog, but it doesn’t matter. It was something I wanted and it’s not going to happen. End of story. Normally when something like this happens, I have a pretty scripted response. I freak out. In order to circumvent the cycle of […]
Quitting Taurus.
GeekeryThis week has provided me with my opportunity to jump ship and I am taking it. I quit Taurus. As you may have heard, earlier this week an astronomer announced that the signs of the Zodiac have changed over thousands of years, thanks to a wobble in the earth’s axis. As soon as it was […]
The pet problem.
Life at Fort DavisWe have an opening for an animal in our house. We are definitely a two-pet household and after my cat died this fall, my husband and I entered into half-hearted negotiations about whether to get a pet, what kind of pet to get and when this adoption ought to take place. Currently our only pet […]
Revision day.
WritingToday is the day I get down to business. Today is the day I make all adjustments and revisions to my manuscript before sending it off to my faculty mentor. This is a task I’ve been putting off, because it horrifies me. The first draft of this novel is not finished. Revising feels like going […]
Winter post
The BPTThe sun is finally out, we have something like two feet of snow outside, and there are meter-long icicles hanging from our roof. The city of Bridgeport (which made a big fuss about us all moving our cars to let the snow plow through) has, in a time-honored tradition, not plowed our street. The blizzard […]
Things that are distracting me today.
WritingYesterday, I came home from brunch with a friend, printed out all 119 pages of my novel in progress, read and line-edited the whole thing, and prepared for the revisions scheduled to take place this afternoon. I researched magazines and fellowships, identified pieces to send out and cleaned my office. I made myself a to-do […]
Thoughts about poetry
WritingOn my first day of my grad school residency, about two weeks ago, one of my colleagues flagged me down. “Why,” he asked, “do you write novels?” This is a good question, and something I hadn’t really thought about. Our grad school program is divided into three sections, or genres: Fiction, Non-fiction and Poetry. I […]
The MFA frenzy.
WritingI’ve been back for a few days from my grad school residency on Enders Island, and I’m ready to blog again. The gardens at Enders when it’s not extremely cold. Before you all read this, I have to warn you: I have the MFA frenzy. It happens whenever I return from my creative writing MFA […]
Not bad for my first full year of blogging.
WritingI’m going to be honest: WordPress pretty much wrote this blog post for me. I’m currently at my grad school residency, a twice-a-year, 10-day program for creative writing on an island with limited Internet access, so I haven’t really been checking my blog. I didn’t count on blogging at all while here, but then WordPress […]
Great minds, average minds, small minds and robots.
Geekery, Writinghttp://twitter.com/#!/AhmadBakhiet/statuses/7504393779810304 The quote in the above tweet* (which, according to Wikiquote, may not have been uttered by Eleanor Roosevelt) has been bothering me since I heard it 15 years ago. Because as much as I love a good discussion about ideas, I’ve also done my fair share of gossip and I spent my career as […]
Getting Boyfriend the cat to make a commitment.
The BPTMy husband is downstairs, building a very small house for our front porch. It looks a little like a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home for cats, and it’s the latest step in my fiendish plan to adopt the stray cat known mainly as Boyfriend. Boyfriend has been around since June or July, when he showed up, […]
Free things for Christmas
These posts don't have a homeI love Christmas. I also love free stuff. So putting the two things together always makes my day. And because sharing makes everything better, I want to share my a few of my favorite holiday freebies with you. 1) Free holiday music. Last year, I was in desperate need of holiday music. I had only […]
The nuns
The Adjunct LifeI was just reading some fiction which featured an archetype that’s been in heavy rotation for at least half a century, and at most, a thousand years: The Evil Nun. You all know The Evil Nun. She hits poor, defenseless, innocent children with rulers and singles them out for shame and humiliation. Her anger and […]
Finals.
The Adjunct LifeIt’s finals day here at Fort Davis. This means that although I don’t really have that many students this semester, I’m spending the day surrounded by final projects, two copies of my class’s final student newspaper, my attendance book, a collection of pens, two cold cups of coffee and random pieces of paper that have […]
Trees, snow, and my belated list of thanks.
WritingThere’s nothing quite like the smell of a Christmas tree. Especially right after you’ve brought it into the house and right before your nose gets used to it and you cease to consciously smell it. The fresh-Christmas-tree scent is one of the few scents I wish I could get my nose to smell for the […]
Sunday was not Bridgeport’s day.
The BPTSunday was not a fantastic day for Bridgeport. My paper’s headline this morning? “Counted Out.” The CT Post/Connecticut Citizen Election Audit Coalition-sponsored vote recount turned up batches of uncounted ballots, and a one-in-four chance that if you cast a photocopied ballot on Nov. 2, your vote was miscounted. Great. I’ve blogged about the botched election […]
Home.
These posts don't have a homeSometimes I still accidentally refer to my parents’ house as home. I’ve been out of the house, more or less, for a decade but it’s an easy mistake. They still live in the same awesome, 100-year-old house I grew up in. Its silhouette has changed over the years, trees have grown up and come down, […]
Writing at the library.
WritingIn a bid to get more work done, I’m moving my morning/early afternoon writing to the library. It’s not my ideal writing spot, but it works, because unlike my house, I don’t have to clean the library, answer the door, the phone or anything else. I’ve picked the prettiest library in the area, the one […]
Last day of the Bridgeport recount.
Jonesing for the NewsroomOh, the Bridgeport recount, co-sponsored by the Connecticut Post and the Connecticut Citizen Audit Coalition. It’s big news. We can read about it in the paper. We can follow it online. We can even head on over to City Hall Annex and watch the recounting process, but since I’m no longer paid to pop into […]
December
These posts don't have a homeTo celebrate the first day of the last month of the year, I thought I’d write about a 15-year-old song that always seems new to me: Collective Soul’s “December.” I know I’ve posted about my strange ‘90s nostalgia before, but really, I’m not delusional. I know that the ’90s have receded into the mists of […]
Writer’s block and the cat.
WritingI haven’t written anything in the last week. Nothing. And it’s not like I haven’t tried. It’s just that everything I’ve tried to type has turned into an obituary for my cat, Copy, who was put to sleep last Tuesday evening. So – although I can understand how you all might not want to read […]
Pet owners like that are the only pet owners here.
These posts don't have a homeI spent most of yesterday wandering through various veterinary facilities, husband in tow. We sat in waiting rooms and exam rooms, carrier in my lap, or worse, the carrier sitting on the floor, its occupant out, growling, firmly held down on a metal examination table. It was more than 48 hours since she was […]
Big damn pet peeve: “But you’re a writer!”
Anger is like food to me, WritingIf you’re friends with someone who works in IT, or anyone who is really good with computers you’ve probably seen the “No, I will not fix your computer” tee shirt. I submit that there should be a similar tee shirt for writers. I don’t know how exactly I’d word it, but the gist would be […]
I didn’t go abroad so my parents could watch me on a webcam.
These posts don't have a homeUPDATE: The webcams appear to no longer be in use at my old study abroad program. At least, the feed from those cameras is no longer posted on the web page. I know that the friends I made in Spain read this blog, so I don’t want to spread misinformation. Last night, overcome by a […]
Writer Wednesday: Joan Didion
Craft essays I had to write for my MFA but made into blog posts, WritingFor me, books can be like hard candy. You get a bag of Jolly Ranchers, you rip it open and maybe you immediately eat one of your favorite flavors first, as a sort of opening-the-bag celebration. But, then if you’re like me, you start eating all your least favorite flavors, so that what’s left in […]
The bad cat owner.
These posts don't have a homeToday I broke a promise to the cat. The promise, which I made about three and a half years ago, went like this: “I vow that unless you get really, really, horribly sick I will never bring you to the vet ever again. You may live out the rest of your life in peace, without […]
My First Page, or how I learned to stop sulking and love the bomb.
WritingAbout a month ago, my MFA colleague Elizabeth Hilts blogged about her submission to writer and teacher Peter Selgin’s Your First Page, a blog on which he critiques – for free and with considerable knowledge – the first pages of in-progress fiction and memoir, emailed to him by hopeful writers. I was impressed with Selgin’s […]
Sister Transistor, or my overactive imagination.
GeekeryIt’s been a while since I blogged about anything embarrassing, so here we go. I think I’ve mentioned that I have an overactive imagination and that I invent imaginary bands. That’s because I don’t believe that my inability to read music/write songs/play an instrument should keep me from feeling like a rock star. This system […]
Housing the brave in Bridgeport
Jonesing for the NewsroomAs a child, I had a very rigid definition of what veterans were: Veterans were old men who fought in WWII. They hung out at the VFW in Oakville and only ever came out for parades. I thought of them, alternately, as nice old men and the walking counterparts of my history lessons. I admit […]
Writer Wednesday: Richard Russo
Craft essays I had to write for my MFA but made into blog posts, Jonesing for the Newsroom, WritingI had the advantage of being able to interview Richard Russo for my newspaper’s entertainment section just as I was writing a craft essay about him for my MFA program. Russo was coming to town this past June to discuss That Old Cape Magic. I had just finished reading Empire Falls, and I was very […]
The Drop Sinister
These posts don't have a homeThis painting has been haunting me. We saw it this weekend at the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, and I took a picture of it because it struck a chord with me, although I didn’t really stop to consider which chord had been struck. The plaque next to the painting said that it is […]
Bridgeport ballot update and rant.
Jonesing for the NewsroomI’d hate to be in the Bridgeport registrar of voters’ office today. It’s a very narrow office in McLevy Hall, with just enough standing room in the waiting area for about three large would-be voters, but everyone seems to be cramming in there, thanks to Tuesday’s ballot shortage: Mayor Bill Finch, his three-businessman investigation team, […]
Blogging is not the same as reporting.
Jonesing for the NewsroomFor the past several years, I’ve been listening to the tired debate between bloggers and news organizations. It’s been going on for a while, and in some cases the lines have blurred so much that it isn’t an issue any more. At its most extreme, the argument ran thus: Bloggers say Big Journalism is dying […]
Two more hours of voting in Bridgeport.
Jonesing for the Newsroom(Scroll down to the bottom for updates and a PDF of the Secretary of the State’s statement.) This is crazy. Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and Superior Court Judge Marshall Berger just ruled that polls in my fair city of Bridgeport will remain open until 10 p.m. Why? Because we don’t have enough ballots. […]
Election cramming
Jonesing for the NewsroomLast night, I spent a few hours cramming for the election. It’s always kind of a project. I don’t vote a party line. I want info on all the candidates before I go to the polls, and sometimes (depsite the CT Post’s extremely useful election site) that information can be hard to get.
Christmas for reporters
Jonesing for the NewsroomI will miss my job as a reporter tomorrow; it will be the first election night in a decade I have not worked. Election night is like Christmas for journalists. Preparing for it can be stressful. A week in advance, you kind of dread it. But once the day arrives, everyone in the newsroom works […]
Happy Halloween.
These posts don't have a homeOur jack-o-lantern has an accidentally cleft palate this year, and lots of unintentional, Mike Tyson-esque facial tattoos. When I was a kid, my mother told me that there was an age at which children stopped dressing up for Halloween.* What was this decidedly unmagical age? I don’t know, because lame though some of my costumes […]
Obama is in town.
The BPTIt is a strange thing to look out your back window and see hundreds of people. It’s a very strange thing to take out the compost and hear crowd noises. You’d think I’d be used to it. I live in Bridgeport’s South End. Once a year thousands of hippies and deadheads camp out for the […]
Still scared.
I have problemsI thought I was over it. I appeared to have outgrown it. I was sure that it was gone and would never trouble me again. Unfortunately, like so many other things from the ’80s that should be gone forever, my fear of caterpillars has returned.
The Halloweeners
These posts don't have a homeAs soon as my writing samples and third semester project were submitted yeserday, I was felled by a migraine headache. I’m just now coming out of it, which is annoying because today was the day I’d planned to figure out a Halloween costume before heading off to work. I still have time, but we have […]
Oh Rocky!
These posts don't have a homeLast night Glee took on Rocky Horror show. The reactions have ranged from outrage to, well, glee. I’ve seen head-shaking of the nothing-is-sacred variety. I’ve seen reactions by people who love both Glee and Rocky Horror and think that combining the two is the best thing since pockets. I’ve seen opinions from people who are […]
Facebook is the devil. But I can’t give it up.
Anger is like food to meIt’s happened again. Disappearing friend syndrome. One day my friend is there, on Facebook. The next day, I want to post a video of an animal yelling “Helen” on her wall, and she’s gone. Not just gone from my list of friends, but gone from the network entirely. Her profile has been erased. She’s departed […]
The October deadline SNAFU.
These posts don't have a homeOh man. I had all these things I wanted to post about today: Being in touch with my inner monkey, my imaginary all-girl rock band, why I hate Fight Club, my burning desire for a Fulbright, a newfound love of M.I.A., strong verbs vs. modifiers, natural selection, trichotillomania and my unrequited teen crush on Wil […]
On crossing the finish line.
WritingIt happens every single time. Despite years of having to meet deadlines, despite months of work on a project, and despite many hours of effort, I always try to sabotage myself right before I complete a task.
The biological time bomb.
My X chromosomesWhen I was younger, I didn’t believe in a biological clock. It seemed incredible that I would ever desperately want children. Don’t get me wrong – I think I’ve always expected that at some point in the future I’d probably have kids, but I never actively desired them. And in many ways, I still don’t. […]
A world-class event.
WritingThis won’t be a long post, nor will it be filled with my usual embarrassing personal revelations. All I have to say here is that not only did the student reading last night go well, but I am in awe of my colleagues from the Fairfield University MFA program. From the new student, who got […]
The fretter
Geekery, WritingI mentioned a couple of days ago that I’m concerned about the Fairfield University student reading that’s happening this evening. It’ll most definitely go well, but I’m gonna worry a little anyhow, ’cause that’s how I roll. I’m a world-class fretter. I worry about ridiculous things. Here’s an example. When I was a teenager, I […]
The merits of failure
Jonesing for the NewsroomLast week I was hanging out with a friend and she told me something I couldn’t believe: In an effort to protect the self-esteem of children, some communities are introducing team sports without winners and losers. This baffles me. How is a person supposed to know what he or she is good at if she […]
Deep breaths.
WritingThis Wednesday brings the fall semester student reading for my MFA program. I’m one of the readers, which is very cool, because I’m going to be trotting out my new novel. Still it’s terrifying, because I never know how I’m going to react when I get to that podium. As I was explaining to a […]
Attempted confession
These posts don't have a homeToday I got myself all worked up about going to confession, only to get to the church and find that a wedding had spilled over into the confession time slot. Where usually there were a handful of penitents, there were instead bridesmaids, bagpipers and a band of chilly-looking well-wishers. It was like a sacramental take-over […]
A nonsensical post from the armchair anthropologist
These posts don't have a homeThis is just a ridiculous bit of musing I did the other day when I was wandering down the beach, lugging half my weight in rocks in a bright pink Victoria’s Secret bag. I’m tempted to justify my behavior by explaining what I was doing, but I’ll just leave you with that bizarre visual.
Band practice + Macbeth= Sound and Fury.
GeekeryI finally got to see the Patrick Stewart Macbeth this week. On Monday, I watched it with a friend, who was nice enough to record it and invite me over. We were very excited about this. Being the fancy ladies we are, we snacked on raspberry wine, cheese and crackers while watching Sir […]
Writer Wednesday: James Baldwin
Jonesing for the Newsroom, WritingIt came as a complete surprise to me that James Baldwin wrote fiction. I had it in my mind that he was an educator, an essayist and an activist. It just hadn’t occurred to me that did all that and wrote fiction. I first became aware of Baldwin when I was working as an education […]
Secondhand polyester
These posts don't have a homeI love to shop. Love to shop. For clothing, for shoes, for hats, for accessories – I love it. But here’s the thing. I don’t like to spend money, and going to the mall bums me out. It could be the canned air, or all the people, or the cheaply made merchandise, offered in every […]
Classroom stage fright
Jonesing for the Newsroom, The Adjunct LifeI teach at the local community college. But one day a year, at my department head’s behest, I teach three workshops of high school students at the college’s high school journalism symposium. This is my fourth year of teaching the workshop, and every year I kind of dread it. I have to get up earlier […]
’90s nostalgia, or, when good people make bad purchases.
These posts don't have a homeI’m sort of annoyed with myself about this. Last night, I spent money I don’t have on this dress. Why? Because it wasn’t too expensive and the site offered free shipping, sure. But mostly because it recalled the mid-’90s. It looks like a costume from “My So-Called Life,” or something that the lead singer of […]
Writer Wednesday: Denise Mina
WritingI’m a candidate for an MFA in creative fiction at Fairfield University. The program places a clear emphasis on literary fiction (think James Baldwin, not James Rollins.) So I was shocked when my mentor (short story writer Al Davis), recommended that I read a genre mystery – Scottish writer Denise Mina’s Field of Blood – […]
You can’t end bullying by being a bully.
Anger is like food to meTensions are running high about the suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers student who committed suicide after being outed as gay via his roommate’s online webcam. This blog isn’t really about Clementi’s suicide or teen bullies or the legal ramifications of what happened in New Jersey two weeks ago. It’s about the reaction to all […]
Something wicked (awesome) this way comes.
WritingThis week, PBS is showing Macbeth, starring Sir Patrick Stewart, and I am so excited. I’m researching a novel, and I’ve spent a lot of time with the Scottish usurper lately. In the last week, I’ve seen three film versions of Macbeth. One, shot in the ’80s, was really terrible, of the variety shown to […]
Home improvements
Life at Fort DavisI’m back online after spending the second of two weekends on home improvements, and the gods have not punished me yet. Until recently, our back porch was literally rotting away. This really bugged me – the steps became slimy in the rain and a couple of weekends ago, I pulled a patch of moss off […]
A crisis of political identity and a picture of a cat
Jonesing for the NewsroomLast night, spurred by fatigue and indignation, I began a blog about current events. It quickly became political. Then it became emotional. Then it became crazy. So because I don’t want to be that blogger, I shelved it and went to bed. But I woke up thinking that oh my god, I grew my opinions […]
Mindbloom: When self-help and video games collide
GeekeryFor a while, I was an enthusiastic gamer. I blogged and reviewed video games on a gaming site and for a (very) short while, freelanced for 1up.com. But then I gave up gaming in favor of getting my life back (I tend to fall into video games like bad guys in Star Wars fall into […]
Writer Wednesday: E Annie Proulx
WritingI fell shamefully in love with The Shipping News this spring. My husband watched the movie when I was at the winter MFA residency and then we watched it together when I came back. Then I found it at a used book sale and found a reason to add the book to my reading list […]
Just a quick procrastinatory post
WritingI’m sitting here, trying to work on my third semester project and I’m amazed at how – even with a stack of index cards, even with an outline, even with a pile of relevant overdue library cards – it is so hard to write one coherent thought. That’s all I got. Back to work.
In which the bad Catholic prays.
These posts don't have a homeI don’t usually pray. Not more than the standard, “God, please don’t let me get into an accident,” or “Thank you, God for the insert-whatever-it-is-that-I-am-grateful-for.” I’ll admit to having conversations with a wide array of entities, ghosts and other figments, but certainly I don’t say any formal prayers – not when I’m not in a […]
The usual third-semester complaint.
WritingAfter last week, I am so pumped up about my work. In the last seven days, I made several positive steps on my novel. I’ve been working on two novels and in the last several days, I made a difficult decision about which of the two novels I’m working on to pursue. I made some […]
Auto-tune the News and my conscience
Jonesing for the NewsroomRecently, I’ve been feeling a little guilty about my YouTube subscription to The Gregory Brothers’ Auto-Tune the News. You know them. They’re behind this song, featuring Antoine Dodson, whose sister was nearly raped by an intruder in the family’s home: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsVSBhSwJg&fs=1&hl=en_US]
Silence or death for Mexico’s media
Jonesing for the NewsroomYahoo’s front page story this morning is about Mexico’s largest newspaper, El Diario. The paper, which is based in Ciudad Juarez, is dropping its coverage of Mexico’s drug wars after burying its second journalist killed by gangs. On Sunday, according to this article by the Associated Press, the paper ran a page one editorial asking […]
My project has turned my brain into a giant fictional newsroom.
Jonesing for the Newsroom, WritingI am so sick of reporters. Not real, live, actual reporters; I’m talking about this guy: And this guy: I’m talking about fictional reporters and all their ilk. My third semester project is about authors who were once reporters and, since most of those authors write about what they know, I’ve read a lot about […]
Writer Wednesday: On T.C. Boyle and Disney. (Kind of.)
Craft essays I had to write for my MFA but made into blog posts, WritingThere are lots of reasons to like T.C. Boyle. He’s a prolific writer. He produces novels and short stories and succeeds at both. His prose is crisp. His worldview is unapologetic. His humor is dark. His observations on human behavior are visceral. He uses his initials instead of his first name. He looks like a […]
Trekkie’s gripe: Stardate 9/14/10
GeekeryI finally saw the new Star Trek film. Actually, what I should say is this: I finally saw the 2009 Star Trek film. (Few movies are truly new by the time I clap eyes on them.) So the vitriol I’m about to spew here is outdated, but still, I can’t contain myself. Because that film […]
An elegy for my job
Jonesing for the Newsroom, WritingI’ve done it. After almost nine years as a reporter, I’ve quit my job at The Hour. I started there as education reporter in 2001, the week before Sept. 11. I remember telling my mother, arrogantly, that I was just going to be there a year. Maybe two years, at the most. It’s been eight […]
Calmly butchering produce on a Sunday evening
These posts don't have a homeIt’s finally happened. I’ve turned into my dad. This evening, during NPR’s new age music programming, I found myself washing, drying and chopping up every bit of the produce we bought at the store today, and then packing it away in neat little plastic containers. I even parceled out the Greek yogurt into containers and […]
Lunch
These posts don't have a homeThis morning, I packed a lunch for my husband and myself. I wrapped up sandwiches, and diced fruit and folded napkins and nestled them all together in the picnic basket my mom gave us for a wedding present. I was amazed by how happy the act of making lunch made me.
Ann Beattie, and a word on a decade I don’t remember.
WritingAnn Beattie’s writing evokes an idea of the ’70s for me. I say that because I don’t remember much of the decade itself, but there’s an idea I get about the ’70s; a sort of feeling that makes me think of straight hair parted in the center, fondue pots, and kitchen appliances painted pea-green, orange […]
The return
WritingIt’s been a long time since I’ve posted to this blog. Actually, I don’t know why I bother to write that last sentence, because I’m not really sure that anyone reads this blog. But in the name of continuity, I think it’s important to note that I’ve been blog-delinquent in the last several months. In […]
The guest blog that started me off…
WritingThis is the blog post that launched my new-found bloggin’ career. Matthew Dicks, the author of “Something Missing” asked me to blog about the most awkward date of my life after I tweeted this: “It’s been two years since the most awkward date of my life. And we’ll be married in two months. Bring on […]
NPR! N to the P to the Radio!
Contests, WritingSo, about two weeks ago one of my profs from F.U. had he administrator of our MFA program blast an email out to all the students in the program. The message was essentially this: “NPR has a short fiction contest. The deadline is in six days. Get on it.” The contest, “Three Minute Fiction,” required […]
A valid point, Mother.
WritingOh Mom. I can hear her now, sitting on my right shoulder, which is where she lives when she’s not standing in front of me: “Blogging is so selfish. What makes everybody think that other people care about their lives?” That is a good point. I’ve heard it many, many times. I’ve even heard it […]