Use the good silver

It always fascinates me when I go to people's houses and I see 'the good china' or 'the good silver' on display. Why? It's not art... it's just a 'good' utensil. However, the definition of utensil is: any instrument, vessel, or tool serving a useful purpose... and,...

The Thirteen Hallows comes out one month from tomorrow!

I'm incredibly excited. The Thirteen Hallows,  is being published one month from tomorrow. I've had smaller books published; however, this is now the big league with press agents and book signings and blogs about collaboration with my brilliant cowriter Michael Scott...

Obama was elected 3 years ago today… a feminist’s perspective…

Obama was elected three years ago...today. Many of my friends went to see the inaugural...I entered a competition to try to see the inaugural live. I didn't win... perhaps it was too much to compare Obama's election to menopause... still, the essay is worth having a...

Peter Stone… a true triple threat

Peter Stone, who is my second cousin twice removed is a hero to most writers... including me. He has an unbelievably impressive resume and is one of those rare people who have conquered the stage, screen and television... winning an Oscar (Father Goose) , a few Tonys...

How going to a small college gave me confidence

“Big fish in a little pond” is how Colette Freedman describes the confidence Haverford gave her to pursue her dreams. “More than anything my experience at Haverford College gave me confidence. I graduated feeling that I could do absolutely anything,” she says....

More connections between Halloween and The Thirteen Hallows

Tonight, little kids will dress up as princesses and Captain Americas and witches and pirates and, of course, Lady Gagas. Once upon a time, the meaning of Halloween meant more than dressing up and hoarding candy. Halloween was a Celtic festival called Samhain.  The...

The connection between All Hallows Eve and The Thirteen Hallows

With Halloween fast upon us, I wanted to start blogging about my book with Michael Scott - The Thirteen Hallows. Hallows meaning... 1.to make holy; sanctify; consecrate. 2.to honor as holy; consider sacred; venerate: to hallow a battlefield. Hallows is also part of...

Once upon a bimah – the genesis of a writer’s career

My first crush was the Pikesville library in Baltimore. Every Saturday, my parents would usher me into the small, ancient red brick building quietly ensconced along one of the less-developed business roads in Pikesville. I would spend what seemed like hours quietly...