If there is a ‘rule’ for writing, everyone says it’s ‘write what you know’. But sometimes you feel compelled to write about something beyond your circle of experience. And I’m struggling to figure out a way to make it work. This goes back to that post about ‘What’s Your Angle’. I did discover an angle […]

I was originally going to write something light-hearted and up beat, about yesterday being like an ‘Italian’ day for me. In the morning I worked on a short story with an Italian character named Giuseppe in it, then while talking to my daughter five copies of the Italian version of Wanting Mor arrived. On the back […]

I don’t miss D. after all. I was thinking about what I wrote last night, (too often I say things impulsively which is bound to get me in trouble in the blogosphere!) and when I wrote that I missed her, I meant it at the time. But now, not so much. What would I do […]

I’ve read a lot of author blogs and to be perfectly honest, I find most of them so cautious, they’re boring. It’s wise to be cautious. The internet is the world and things get back to people. Maybe I’m a fool for being less cautious. I was thinking about yesterday’s post where I talked about […]

I think I’m going to have to modify my policy when it comes to accepting invitations for Muslim events. I definitely believe in giving back to the community, but when the organizers see fit to hire a clown and a magician (never mind how incongruous it is to have a magician at an Islamic event!!!) […]

Yesterday I was reminiscing about my old friend who passed away, Linda Smith, but it also got me thinking about a mutual friend of ours, I’ll call her D. To me D. represents the opposite of Linda’s generous unselfish nature. People seem to think that children’s publishing is a more benign world. But there’s a […]

The term  ‘orphaned’ book  usually applies to a book whose acquiring editor has moved on. In my ‘What’s Your Angle’ blogpost below, I briefly mentioned how the acquiring editor has a vested interest in making sure your book does well. But the way editors hop around, sometimes they leave after your book has gone into […]

I’m always careful when I name my characters after a number of experiences during presentations. In my teen novel Dahling if You Luv Me Would You Please Please Smile I named one of the principle characters Jenny. Unfortunately, It was a too common choice of name that I came to regret. What often happened was that I’d get to a […]

get a stupid answer. Today, on the internet, I got asked why there wasn’t some Muslim fundraising event where we raised a bounty to catch bin Laden. Sigh. Most Muslims I know can’t top the bajillion or so dollars that are already on bin Laden’s head. Most Muslims I know are just trying to make […]

Do you remember that old Flintstones episode where he changes places with that big look-alike tycoon and all he has to remember to say whenever he’s asked any question was: “Who’s baby is that? What’s your angle? I’ll buy that.” I don’t know why that refrain stayed with me all these years. And when I […]