Skip to main content

So Easy

So my friend had three polyps; two benign, one malignant. So he had to have another colonoscopy this year to recheck things. So he’s on Medicaid. So Medicaid doesn’t pay for the prep material that you must drink and cannot have a colonoscopy without. So he had to postpone the colonoscopy until a day came when he didn’t have...

Continue reading

The Website Has Me Trapped Like a Spider

This website re-design is so hard! I am a trial and error person, which, by definition, means I make errors. Another way to look at it is I need to play with things. Try a little of this, mix in a dollop of that. Maybe take a big eraser and start all over—why do you think my husband marvels at the process I go through to get dressed in the morning? I’ve...

Continue reading

PSA: The Heart You Save Might Be Your Own

“If you hadn’t come in, you would’ve been dead before the end of the year.” Ever since a doctor spoke these words to my husband, I’ve looked men in the face and said, “At least once a year, go in and let a doctor listen to your heart.” I try to make them understand. My husband was doing great too. He...

Continue reading

My Drugstore

In 2001, I moved to Memphis and became a writer, which is a person who sits at her computer and meets no one. I left behind a busy law practice in Jackson, Mississippi, so the change was a shock. Quiet days at home, on my own in a new city, no outlet to meet people. Then I found Wiles-Smith Drugstore. I never became a fixture at the old-fashioned...

Continue reading

Old Stories Found

After a long hiatus, I submitted a couple of short stories to literary magazines today. I’ve been working on the new website, mulling over what stories I wanted to include. The website will have a “Photo Bio” featuring a sentence about my life that reflects a dominant themes in my work and a representative photo. Click on the...

Continue reading

The Good News

When I was young, my mother told me I’d gotten a phone call. I was whining about what terrible news it was certain to be, and she said, “How can it be good news if you don’t leave room for it to be good?” I think of this every time I’m about to open a SASE. You know, the letter that, incredibly, some very high-end...

Continue reading

A Modern-Day Literary Salon

Susan Cushman, who has an amazing blog at Pen & Palette, hosted a wonderful literary salon at her house on Saturday. Neil White of Triton Press spoke to about thirty-five writers about the hybrid publishing option. I learned many things. I wanted to share a few with you. * When revising, look for scenes hiding in your sentences. Neil encouraged...

Continue reading

Where I am Now

For those of y’all following my novel(s) saga, I thought you might like an update. Also, I need your support—just getting it out here helps me feel I’m not all alone on this journey! TRAIN TRIP: LUCINDA MAE’S QUEST FOR LOVE, HONOR AND THE CHICKENS, is being read and considered by four agents. Many queries are still outstanding, and I have...

Continue reading