Books & Culture Blog

Mrs. Parker and the Not-So-Nice Review

In high school, I discovered Dorothy Parker: an acerbic, darkly witty writer of the Jazz Age. At 15, I thought she was great. All year, I...

New short fiction: A Minor Death

After a spring blogging hiatus, which I do not at all blame on my kids' sports schedule, I am happy to be back with a just-published...

Portraits of the Artist: Two New Books About Creative Types

Are artists insufferable? And if so, why? As a writer slightly out-of-step with normal people, I’m glad somebody is pondering these...

First Review of The City Mother

When someone reviews our book, we writers have to play it cool. Here's G.K. Chesterton, kicking back in a lawn chair. Note his sober,...

Animal Mothers: Which One Are You Today?

Only eight more days until The City Mother is released! In the meantime, here's a blog post from March 2015, when I was starting to write...

Toddler Moms: A Worthy Subject for Art?

What do the Italian Rennaissance painter Raphael and the 19th century American impressionist Mary Cassatt have to do with The City...

5 Songs That Inspired The City Mother

In late 2018, when I had a complete draft of The City Mother, I sent it to a novelist who worked as a fiction editor on the side. For a...

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Liked The City Mother? This blog is for you

In this blog, I will post updates relating to my novel, The City Mother, which I’m excited to share. I’ll also post links to...