Suicide and the Language of Choice
Header Image Alt Text: A photograph of a moon with orange-lit clouds below. CW: Suicide, Mental Illness When I heard about the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, I felt what I always feel when I hear about the suicide of anyone: I feel like I’ve lost a...
A Story and a Poem: Dora Maar and Bipolar Disorder
Banner Image Alt Text: A photograph of a tall gray sculpture by Picasso located in Kristinehamn, Sweden, with blue skies beyond. When I was in my early twenties, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. That's when you're diagnosed, if you're lucky. BD manifests in most...
Welcome to the World, FALLOUT GIRL
Fallout Girl is the hardest novel I've ever written. I've written four novels. The three full-length novels of the Hollywood Lights series (check out the whole series of books listed below), and the fourth that's with my agent now, something entirely new. But this...
The Glory and Heartache of Tennis
Today I'm going to introduce a new writing topic on my blog, a topic dear to my soul: tennis. I have a family. I do my work. And I play tennis. Those are my three loves. Indeed, the fact that I haven't written about tennis here before is more surprising than the fact...
What It Was Like While My Cat Was Likely Dying
Image alt text: A black American Shorthair cat lounging on its side, with purple flowers in the foreground. This is not a photograph of Princess Richard, who is far more snooty looking. Two weeks ago, my cat, Princess Richard, was attacked by a "large canid"—either a...
Essay: Don’t Ever Let Go
Note: This is an original essay that I'm publishing for the first time here on my blog. This essay is dedicated to my father. My father is smart to bring a sleeping bag for me. He is correct to figure that his nine-year-old daughter doesn't share his eagerness for...