Contest Winner

I was one of four winners of a contest to write a “life story” in five parts that could each be “tweeted”—that is, they’re 140 characters or shorter. My story, “He Hardly Remembers the Crisis from Childhood,” is being posted this week (December 28—January 1). You can go the suspenseful route and read one each

Alternate Versions

This is one of the prettiest Christmas carols I know, and I love the effect even when performed in two very different styles. Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming It’s a very old song, and it’s a toss up whether the traditional feel is better conveyed by a sweet and ethereal children’s choir or a

Identity and Appearance

If you go for the Gerber baby type, I come from a family of very cute babies. For a variety of reasons, it’s not something the relatives comment on, which, blissfully—perhaps especially for a girl—meant a youth engaged in action, not image. The grandparents and aunts and parents talked up deeds (working hard, tucking in

NaNoWriMo Thanks

I didn’t blog much about how it was going during November because I was trying to be diligent about working on the novel. If you want to get a feel for the zeitgeist, though, check out Doyce Testerman’s blog. Having a gang of fellow travelers helped me stay in motion more than I realized it