Welcome to my Bed

Thanks to all of you who have already purchased copies of The Good House.

I have some upcoming events that you can check out on the EVENTS page of this site. Tomorrow, I’ll be at RJ Julia Booksellers, in Madison, Connecticut at 7:00 PM.  If you’ve never been to this bookstore, it is certainly worth the trip. It’s a wonderful bookshop that is known for its great author events. Plus, Madison is charming with several amazing restaurants within walking distance of the book store. So why not make an evening of it?  I know it’s going to be chilly, but we’re New Englanders! We love this kind of thing! Right? Am I right?

A Birthday Quiz

TURNING 50 IS REALLY NO BIG DEAL BECAUSE:

A) Nobody cares about 50-year-olds

B) I know this to be a fact, because I keep telling people and

C) They don’t care

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING SOUNDS LONGER?

A) 50 Years

B) 5 short decades

C) Half a century

D) Two score and ten years

E) Pre-dotage

F) Post-prime

SOME OF US ARE ABLE TO AGE GRACEFULLY, AND WE ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT OUR FADING LOOKS. THIS IS BECAUSE WE ARE:

A)  Concerned with larger things, like world peace and the environment

Too Much Information

I used to have satellite radio in my car, but the subscription ran out almost a year ago, and I never bothered getting it renewed.  I like to listen to playlists of music in my car, especially when I’m working on a book, so I didn’t really miss all the radio talk shows at first.  I was no longer able to listen to NPR, BBC Radio and CSPAN and I don’t watch the news on TV very often, so before long, the only information I was receiving about the world was from The Daily Show and the Colbert Report and on Twitter and gosh, the news was funny!  I have spent the past year viewing candidates, politics and even wars with an attitude of rather bemused indifference, which is, I know, the American way, and I was a happy person.

Sneaker Rage

I’m always relieved to learn that there’s a medical term for a condition that plagues me. For instance, I recently learned that the reason I don’t love traveling and especially don’t love hanging out on beaches, is because I have something called relaxation-induced anxiety.  As long as I’m careening through life at full-throttle, writing, running, eating, riding, caring for animals, husband, children, playing tennis, riding on ambulances, etc, I am somewhat stable. Sit me down on a beach or a yoga mat, however, and my mind decides to pick up the slack, goes into overdrive and within minutes I am in a full-blown lather of anxiety and dread. But now I know I’m not just a hyperactive weirdo, I have relaxation-induced anxiety.

I Lost My Invitation

The other day I was driving through a neighboring town that has a rather busy main street, when I saw, in my rearview,  that a state trooper was speeding up behind me, lights flashing, sirens blaring.  I pulled over to let the car pass. Obviously there was a crime happening and I’m not one to step in the way of the law.  Instead of speeding past, however, the police car pulled up behind me. It was me they were after.  I did a quick inventory of my driving behavior. I hadn’t been speeding or talking on my phone. I wasn’t drinking, littering, fornicating, firing weapons, sleeping behind the wheel, smoking bath salts.  No, I was just driving along, minding my own business.

Don’t Let This Happen to You

The unspoken shame of Empty Nest Syndrome:

New Favorite Book Trailer

The other day, my editor encouraged me to look at some good book trailers to get an idea of something I might like for my novel. Apparently Brenda didn’t know that I’m an experienced book trailer director. Yes, that’s right. I directed the two critically ignored Julie Klam You Had Me at Woof trailers.

Here’s the first, my directorial debut, if you will.

This is my second video film.

They Have No Bugs. They Love Corn

Here’s the thing, my novel is complete and is being prepared to be “launched.”  That doesn’t mean that it’s coming out soon. It’s not, it’s coming out next winter.  But it has been sent out for  endorsements from other authors that will appear on the cover of the book. My agent sent the book out to two authors who were kind enough to read it promptly and then reward me with just the most flattering blurbs. I don’t think I’m allowed to reveal them yet but it’s a great relief to get their feedback.

The Good House

 

I know I’ve blogged about this before, but I’m absolutely terrible at naming things.  Thus, I have a horse named Mark, and had another horse named Snoopy, a cat named Sneakers, a dog named Pongo, etc.  The reason I bring this up now is because for the past few weeks my wonderful editor Brenda Copeland and I have been trying to come up with a title for my new novel and we just kept coming up with one stinker after another. Well, I should say, I came up with the stinkers, and every time I had one flit through my little brain, I felt compelled to call or email Brenda to see what she thought.

How Am I? So Glad You Asked

I'll be fine, really

At our last monthly Ambulance Association meeting, Bernie, our EMS chief, announced that flu shots were available to those members of the crew who wanted them.  Apparently, EMTs are eligible for free flu shots or something.  Actually, I’m not entirely sure what Bernie said about the shots because I felt that it was important to inform those around me that I’ve never had a flu shot.  ”I’ve never had the shot and I never get the flu,” I whispered to K, who was seated to my right. (I’ll protect the privacy of all EMTs in this story except Bernie). K whispered back, “Me neither.  I don’t think I’ve ever had the flu in my life.”  Then M, on my left, offered, “I’ve never had the shot either. I never really get sick.”