Better late than never: I’m thrilled to share the June 2012 Stories on Stage performance, in which actor Blair Leatherwood read my short story “Q&A at the Film Fest.” He does a fantastic job, as you can see for yourself here:   To learn more about this event, which is run by my fellow BkMk [...]

Stuffing too much paper into the toilet. Wondering who’s on first. A soldier crouched in the dust. A beloved old copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. Slipping down a muddy slope. Ski lessons in jeans. Caramel, you old smoothie… Those are snippets from the memories some of you shared in this post when you entered [...]

Living Arrangements is the book of the week over at Fiction Writers Review. That means three readers will win free copies of the book. All you have to do to be eligible is follow FWR at @fictionwriters on Twitter. And in the spirit of short story collection giveaways — and Short Story Month itself, which [...]

It’s May, which means it’s Short Story Month, which means it’s the perfect time to spread some story love. I’m participating in the Fiction Writers Review’s 2012 Collection Giveaway Project, and you can reap the benefits — a free copy of Anthony Doerr’s Memory Wall. I picked up my copy in October at the Ohioana [...]

The Cleveland International Film Festival wrapped up this weekend. During the 10-day festival I saw a few movies I loved, others that were admirable but didn’t quite hit the mark for me, and still others that didn’t rise to the occasion despite their promise. (Who would have thought I’d be disappointed in a film featuring [...]

Today I overheard a little girl ask her family: “Can we stop talking about me already?” I hear ya, sister. Sometimes enough is enough and you want to focus on someone else for a change. So in honor of that cranky little girl, here’s some news from other writers: If you’re an anxious traveler and [...]

2009 was the year of the wedding. I attended almost as many weddings that year as I have, combined, in my life. I was a bridesmaid not once, not twice, but three times. (Dress colors: wine, clover + pistachio, and terracotta.) One of my best friends married. Both of my brothers married, so I gained [...]

I have a short piece called “Six Surefire Ways to Get the Most Out of Writing Contests” in the August 2011 issue of The Writer magazine. This issue should be on newsstands now. You can find my article in the Take Note department near the beginning of the magazine. I interviewed two writers for this [...]

First, thanks to Lyra for keeping things lively over here despite my absence. I love the discussion you guys whipped up in the comments section. Sadly, I’ve been mostly unable to visit and comment on other blogs this week, but I promise to return after next week. Speaking of next week, I’ve got some great [...]

Earlier this week, I won a copy of the story collection Not So Perfect by Nik Perring via Downith‘s giveaway. She was inspired by the Fiction Writers Review’s Short Story Month collection giveaway project, which I sadly did not participate in. But fear not — I plan to do some giveaways in the future. Our [...]