Hello! Or should I say, HELLO!!!!!(??!!!) I’m moving today (yes, yet again), which is so exciting, I thought I’d reshare this post about my excitability about punctuation!!! (x a gazillion) My reality TV of choice is the true crime variety that airs on Investigation Discovery, the channel that features such inimitable classics as BrideKillas, Murder Loves Company, Deadly Dentists and Elder Skelter. But every once in a while, … Continue reading Oh, exclamation point!
In my day job as copywriter, I spend a decent amount of time coming up with names for companies, products, and services. Sometimes it’s an easy lift like, say, when I’m tasked with incorporating the owner’s namesake. (The George Foreman Grill comes to mind.) But more often than not, it’s a process that requires in-depth research, tedious trademark queries, and copious complaining. It isn’t just … Continue reading The name game
My daughter just turned 15. I know. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. But I don’t want to talk about teen angst, the dangers of social media, or why I’m accused of being “totally cringe” when I drive her and her friends around. I want to talk about fashion. I don’t know about where you live, but in my little corner of Oregon, the … Continue reading It’s, like, totally fashionable.
Ah, 2021. It was the worst of times. And the worst of times. But The Year That Must Not Be Named did usher in a number of lessons for me, some of the cosmic variety, some simply to be filed away under Huh…Who Knew? Here, then, in no particular order, are a few things I learned in 2021: Never, ever declare “THIS is going to … Continue reading Things I learned in 2021
Not to be dramatic or anything, but I call this time of year The Solstice of the Soul. The runup to the shortest day is heralded by 4:30 p.m. sunsets, cloud-pocked skies and barren trees. Everything seems to be dying, including the light, and I find myself turning inward, hibernating, contemplating the chill of endings as the sun turns its back. And yet in the … Continue reading Solstice of the Soul
In the advertising world, we’re discouraged from falling in love with our ideas in case the client hates them or they die on the cutting room floor. (And by “cutting room” I mean “creative director’s.” And by “die” I mean “squashed like grapes made into a post-work glass of wine.”) Despite decades of adherence to this edict, I didn’t apply it novel-writing, not because I … Continue reading Playing favorites
At work, the managers like to end our weekly meeting with a thought-provoking, let’s-really-get-to-know-each-other question. This week’s theme: name something weird or surprising about yourself. My response: How would you like my list of weirdness? Alphabetically? Chronologically? Small to large? Mundane to outrageous? I have a lot of material. I could have talked about how my fingers are so double-jointed that I have to concentrate … Continue reading Two Truths and a Lie
I recently saw an ad for an app that helps YouTube pros hunt down and eliminate filler words from their speech. You know…um, uh, well and…you know. As someone whose own dialogue is replete with Valley Girl-isms a là “Like, it’s like, I mean,” this sounded like the app for me. Except for the fact that I’m not a professional YouTuber. I am a … Continue reading My word
The Chicks are attending More Than Malice (July 14-17)! Some of us will be at the Author Speed Dating events, and our own Ellen Byron is nominated for an Agatha Award (Best Contemporary Novel)–huge congratulations and cheers!–and you can watch the recorded nominee panels here. The More Than Malice schedule offers information about the many wonderful panels happening this week if you are attending. Also, if you … Continue reading Gone to Malice 2021
If you know me for more than, say, five minutes, you know that the only thing I like as much as reading is watching movies. So perhaps it’s no surprise that movies that feature books—specifically authors—hit the sweet spot in my entertainment Venn diagram. Fortunately, there’s plenty of material. I’ve waxed poetic (or perhaps prosaic?) about my love for Joan Wilder (yes, THE Joan Wilder) … Continue reading You Oughta Be in Pictures
I visited my dad last weekend which meant two things: Every meal was accompanied by coffee. (Sandwiches? Of course! Fried chicken? Sure! Stir fry? Why not!) The TV was alternately tuned to vintage tennis matches or decades-old movies. When we weren’t watching McEnroe mistreat his racket, we were regaled by a spoof-fest featuring The Naked Gun franchise. I hadn’t seen the movies in years, but … Continue reading Nice to Meet You
I’m entering a new season of life marked by more than a few challenges and a whole lot of different. One especially bright spot: my new puppy, Olive. Everyone, Olive. Olive, everyone. Olive was a lovely little surprise that came by way of a family friend. She joined me just one week ago and has taught me so much in the short time we’ve been … Continue reading Meet Olive
Chicks on the Case 