Whomped by Wednesday, Paranoid by Saturday

For the past week our neighborhood watch program has included a cluster of eight to ten turkey vultures in mid-migration. They hunch in the topmost branches of nearby cottonwood trees, surveying the streets and, I assume, tallying all the cats and small dogs in the...

A Quiz and a Vow

Well, we are now nearly three full months into 2008, and guess which one of the following I still have not done? Go on, circle one: a) Licked an envelope and received a paper cut on my tongue. b) Roasted Peeps over an open campfire. c) Started my diet yet again. d)...

No One Should Walk in on a Scene Like This

We’re leaving for the weekend in an hour, and I’m in that post-packed, pre-leave limbo. My laptop’s open, and I have three options: touring the blogosphere, surfing the internet, and writing. Although blogs are tempting and mindless surfing has its...

Lords of the Laptop

Sometimes it seems as if everybody wants to be a novelist. I’m sitting in my local coffee shop, where I retreated in order to — what else? — work on my own novel. The place is not crowded, but I count three others hiding behind their laptop screens....

Construction Season

Dear driver of the Honda Accord from Ohio: The orange barrels are lovely to behold, that is true. They glisten in the sunlight as they line either side of the lane down which you meander. Our town is known for its natural beauty, but nothing can compare with the...

An Interview with Melissa Walker

We have a guest today on The Book Lady. Young adult author Melissa Walker stopped by to discuss her newest book, Violet by Design, the sequel to Violet on the Runway, which came out last fall. Hi, Melissa. Thanks for coming to talk to us. Could you please tell us a...

When Good Brainstorms Go Bad

Well, it’s official. Despite all my vows to the contrary, yesterday afternoon I was forced to send a Dear John letter to my current work in progress. With the flourish of my imaginary pen, the manuscript I had promised to see through until the end became my...

Five on Friday: Hail to the Chef

Back by request, round two of Five on Friday, wherein I occasionally post five links on a certain theme. This week’s theme is recipe sites. The sad fact is that I’m severely lacking in kitchen skills, which means that while I have collected many beautiful...

Hold the Peas and Pass the Phone

Calling me during inopportune times has become a bit of a trend lately, so for those who have not mastered the knack, let me give you a few pointers. Since I’m a compulsive phone-answerer*, these are almost always guaranteed to work. First of all, if you make...

Clearly I’m Procrastinating

My dearest work in progress, I do not know how to tell you this, so I will be frank: This morning I cheated on you with another, older manuscript. I know that this is a shock, but let me explain. We spent an entire summer together several years ago, and although our...
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