Tag Archives: artist
He’s at the opposite pole from where I am
He’s the first hand raised in the audience and wants to know why I think Canada is so much more tolerant of gay people than the United States. Afterward, he’s the first to have his book signed. “I want you to know,” he says, “that … Read more
Posted in Giraffe People, Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, boundaries, character, control, father, god, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, kid, love, marriage, marriage equality, memory, mindfulness, power, queer, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, story, women, Writing
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Mod
“I have no patience for behavior mod,” I say.
“Then you’re lucky,” she says, “that your wife does it for a living.”
I am. I am lucky. Last night, Mary and Gavin were making a cape and cosmic suit for his fennec fox. G wanted … Read more
Mothering
I was thinking this morning about the evolution of the mother figure in my novels. In Red Audrey, the mother has mental health issues and ultimately commits suicide when Jane is a child. In Field Guide, the mothers run the gamut from cruelty to tenderness, … Read more
Posted in Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, father, field guide, giraffe people, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, love, may sarton, memory, mindfulness, mother, power, red audrey, relationships, savor, self, shame, simple, story, women, Writing
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Please praise what you love
I used to dread the question: What’s your book about?
Um. It’s a kind of love story. (Red Audrey.) It’s a tragedy. About martyrdom. And family.(Field Guide.) Yes. Yes, way to pitch, Jill Malone. But now, I look forward to you asking because fuck, I’m … Read more
Posted in Field Guide, Giraffe People, News & Events, Red Audrey
Tagged art, artist, character, field guide, giraffe people, grace, joy, lesbian, love, mary, mindfulness, power, queer, red audrey, relationships, savor, self, simple, story, women, Writing
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Just a note
Many thanks to Women and Words for posting my guest blog about Giraffe People today. This has been quite a week. My second novel, A Field Guide to Deception, won the Great Northwest Book Festival, which is particularly exciting because I can’t think about … Read more
Posted in Field Guide, Giraffe People, News & Events, Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, bliss, dinosaur, Great Northwest Book Festival, kid, memory, mindfulness, story, women, Women and Words, Writing
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Against muscling
If it doesn’t come easily, you should stop.
That’s my writing advice. Don’t force it. Don’t write page after page of mediocre shit just so you can make your word count for the day, or fill up the 4.75 hours you’re meant to be writing.… Read more
Posted in Writing
Tagged art, artist, character, control, mindfulness, simple, women, Writing, writing tips you should ignore
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Heroine
My love for Wonder Woman has more to do with Lynda Carter than anything else. And last night, in the stellar documentary, Wonder Women!, Carter said that when she got the role, people warned her women would hate her as Wonder Woman. “Why?” she … Read more
Posted in News & Events, Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, bliss, boundaries, brokenness, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, character, control, hunger games, Lynda Carter, memory, mindfulness, power, Rebecca Swartz, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, story, women, Wonder Woman, Wonder Women!, Writing
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On losing
After watching the entirety of Ken Burns’ Baseball documentary — including the tenth episode that covers the Red Sox winning the 2004 World Series and the pervasive steroid scandal — what I find most compelling about this fascinating history is Roger Angell’s comment that over … Read more
Posted in Writing
Tagged adventure, art, artist, baseball, boundaries, brokenness, character, control, grace, grief, heart, heartbreak, injury, joy, Ken Burns, love, memory, mindfulness, power, relationships, Roger Angell, safe, savor, self, shame, simple, story, women, Writing
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The Next Big Thing
Bett Norris, dynamic writer, tagged me to contribute to The Next Big Thing. A chance for writers to dish some dirt on their forthcoming work. Let’s get filthy.
What is the working title of your book?
The working title was Tales of a Vocabulary … Read more
Posted in Field Guide, Giraffe People, News & Events, Red Audrey, Writing
Tagged Army brat, art, artist, Bett Norris, boundaries, character, Dog Heaven, giraffe people, joy, lesbian, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, novel, power, queer, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, Stephanie Vaughn, story, Tobias Wolff, women, Writing
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Setlist
I had my first interview for Giraffe People this week, and one of the questions was “What is your ultimate playlist?” Oh. Man. How much time do you have? And for which age? Like now? This moment? Bjork is kicking through the speakers just now. … Read more
Posted in News & Events, Writing
Tagged art, artist, bliss, character, giraffe people, joy, love, mary, memory, mindfulness, music, playlist, power, relationships, safe, savor, self, simple, sing, story, Writing
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