-
Unlost – Sharing a Short Story from The Postcard
Today, I’m sharing a short story I wrote that was published in my book of 2018 titled The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry. It’s set in London, a place I’ve only visited once, but loved. In striving to write about female friendships as I did in my new novel, Little Milestones, I guess you could say I practiced with this very short story. I love writing short pieces of fiction, as they test both your ability to tell a condensed story, as well as test your proclivity for further expanding the story. This one stayed put as a short story, but another one I wrote for that collection, Life with Nan, turned into…
-
Writing About Grief
To tell you the truth, I’m not sure why two of my books have focused on grief. I can only tell you that I probably write about it because I have the utmost respect for people who are able to cope with grief well. Losing someone is so hard—unimaginable, even—especially when we love someone so much we can’t imagine them not being here with us. In Baseball Girl, Frankie loses her dad. In Inn Significant, Milly loses her husband to a fatal road accident. Both of these characters loved so deeply that the loss was, for a time, insurmountable. And yet, they both learn to carry on, never forgetting their…
-
When Someone Dies
I’ll keep this post short and sweet because it’s Friday as well as Father’s Day weekend, and I don’t want to be glum or morose, but… The other day, a former student of mine passed away in an unfortunate car accident. She graduated in December. Those who knew her are saddened by her death, especially at the young age of 22. When someone passes at that age, it’s unexpected, and we have to come to terms with a loss like that. And while that in itself is difficult to grasp, it is no less sad when someone older dies. No matter what age, when we love and care about someone,…
-
The Best Advice You Ever Got
The best advice you ever got— And over the years you’ve heard a lot— Didn’t come in the way of a bang and pop! Didn’t come among a fertile crop. It didn’t call out in the dead of night When creepy crawlers come out to bite. It wasn’t seen among the stars— The moon, Jupiter or dusty Mars. It didn’t have legs and walk away, It stayed to face interminable days. It helped you survive the bleakest clouds, When you wanted to quit, but then said aloud, That what you’ve lost wasn’t meant to be, In pain, you cry, the dichotomy. One side, like a coin; do not to toss…
-
Making Sense of Loss
My husband’s been watching several documentaries on September 11 that he recorded last week. Some of these specials are absolutely mind boggling—stories of heroics and survivors, stories of the last recorded phone calls of those who perished in the attacks, and follow-up stories like the one Diane Sawyer hosted on 20/20 about mothers who were pregnant and gave birth to those children post 9/11. All incredibly poignant, touching pieces. My husband has a vested interested in these documentaries. His cousin Kenny worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and lost his life on that day. His wife was one of the mothers who was pregnant with their second child when the events of…
