A good moment
I am enjoying a season of change. Trying new things, taking better care of myself, being gentle with my thoughts. At the moment I feel proud of myself, feel quite lovely, and thought it might be nice to document that–something to look back on, maybe, in some troubling season
A little book
In March, when I finished major work on the third draft of my in-progress novel, The Dark Age, I printed a copy, then set it aside to breathe a bit. I'd always intended this novel to be a slender little affair, and it very much isn't that. I don't think
Playing the children's game
Every Thursday night, Felicia and Squish and I watch a movie together. We take turns selecting something to watch. Sometimes it's a legitimately great movie; other times it's pure adrenaline or silliness. At the start of each month, I'll doodle a fresh "schedule" for us, and we'll fill in what
Our little blue pixel
Carl Sagan's message about the "pale blue dot" is, I think, the single most beautiful and important piece of writing I've ever encountered. Here's how it begins: Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard
Quote wall: Jane Smiley
On the bulletin board above my desk, I keep a handful of quotes that have taught me something, or that I hope to learn from. Here's one: I believe that you either love the work or the rewards. Life is a lot easier if you love the work. —Jane Smiley
Novels and breakfast
Last year—two years ago?—while reading Station Eleven, I came upon these brief lines, in which Clark is thinking of his boyfriend, Robert: Robert in the mornings: he liked to read a novel while he ate breakfast. It was possibly the most civilized habit Clark had ever encountered. As
Preorder The Edge of Sleep for 25% off
A quick bonus post this week to share a special offer from Barnes & Noble: From Wednesday, 1/25, to Friday, 1/27, you can get 25% off all Barnes & Noble preorders using the code PREORDER25! Secure your copy of The Edge of Sleep today! Here are a few preorders I'm
Like and subscribe
The very first blog post I ever wrote was in 1998. I don't think the word 'blog' was being bandied about quite yet, though I could be wrong. And mine was hardly more than a static site I updated regularly with new entries. I've been thinking lately about how much
Chatty domicile
Here I sit at the dining table at midnight, tapping away on my little iPad keyboard. I should be working on my novel, except every few seconds I'm distracted: Something, somewhere in the house, keeps creaking and popping. I keep venturing into the dark living room, into the hallway, to
The worst kind of time-traveler
All week long I've thought it is a day later than it actually is. Sunday felt like a Monday, Monday like a Tuesday, and so on. You sort of expect this kind of thing to wear off pretty quickly, but no, here it is a Wednesday and I woke up