A friend (hi, Robin!) asked my opinion on a keynote speech delivered at the Brisbane Writers Festival. Lionel Shriver spent her podium time excoriating identity politics and the chilling effect she perceives as its aim and effect for writers of fiction. In an exercise that would surely encourage her to pull out her hair, I’ll […]
Lysistrata Cove has launched
Now for attaining escape velocity! I’m getting feedback already, some of which is exciting, some of which is absolutely thrilling. Sally Bend reviewed Lysistrata Cove on her review blog Bending the Bookshelf, and she pinpointed some things I’m truly proud of. First, who wouldn’t love seeing this: Honestly, this is one of the most remarkable […]
The Edge of Realism
There’s a story in Begging for It that really works for me. And no, I don’t mean the one I wrote, Symphony. Though I hope you’ll find it irresistible. Fantasy is, as others have said, a realm of its own. When I saw that Rachel Kramer Bussel wanted erotic stories of female fantasies, my brain […]
My Summer of Boi
My hair’s growing out a little, getting thick and wavy. My warm winter layers have been washed and stowed in the compartment under the forepeak berth. As my body comes out from hiding from the cold, I go through a metamorphosis. My female marked body begins to lead me toward sexy, fitted clothing that makes […]
Lysistrata Cove Goes to School
The last few months have been a flurry of travel and writing. After spending the summer sailing north, James and I spent the fall sailing south. The winter, to date, has been more southing, without the snow and depressing low temps we’d feared. On the writing front, I have rewritten and sculpted Lysistrata Cove, the […]
Writers Who Read Appearance
GG Andrews brought me aboard the excellent series, Writers Who Read. I answer questions about my own favorite books, characters, and styles in this text interview.
Dirty Dates ed. Rachel Kramer Bussel
Rachel Kramer Bussel puts together punchy stories every single time she edits an anthology. This one, as usual, weighed in firmly on the “hot” side, with only a few stories that left me cold, had me skimming the ends, or turned me off. Even some that had irritating aspects—like the heavy doses of womanly perfection, […]
Women’s Week in Provincetown
I’ll be doing readings and signings again this year in Provincetown, MA. Women’s Week is a lively, fabulous bundle of events which take advantage of the beach atmosphere to offer a little bit of everything. Raucous dance parties, teeming crowds of women holding hands, and packed houses for concerts and shows alternate with quiet time […]
Heart of the Lilikoʻi’s Cover
When I thought of an image to represent Heart of the Lilikoʻi, I imagined the west side of the Island of Hawaiʻi. Unlike the lush jungle of the Hilo side, the Kona side is dry down by the water. It’s a black rubble desert, except for the small plants, so green it hurts the eye, […]
Lysistrata Cove: First Draft Finished
I just finished a first draft in 11 days. And I’m not even exhausted! The complete first draft of Lysistrata Cove represents a change in my understanding of novel-writing. After two books that took me years to write and edit, I know now that I’m, first and foremost, telling a story, and that I work […]