After twenty years, I ditched Microsoft and embraced Apple. For a writer who is on the computer 24/7, that was a scary decision. The change seriously interrupted my word output as I groped through new methods of managing my files, getting email and saving to my flash drives. But the pros outweighed the cons, and I made the leap from a flawed platform I knew very well to another I’ve had to learn from scratch.

Friends and family reminded me I hate to learn new stuff. I say old dogs can learn new tricks and keep their sanity. So far, that’s a real maybe. Continue reading →

It’s atavistic, I think. Most of us like to cozy up to a fireplace, stare into the flickering flames, dream and drift or think of nothing at all. Others find inspiration in writing by a fire, snug in a blanket, laptop at the ready.

I was raised without central heat. In a bitterly cold house on the Texas/Oklahoma border, the welcome warmth of a hot stove was our greatest comfort. Those stoves were closed cast iron heaters, fueled by chopped wood and vented via a tin chimney with a damper to regulate the heat. Continue reading →

Have you ever had to do something you just hated? Last year, two days before my seventy-fourth birthday, I voluntarily gave up driving. I was rattling around town and almost got run over. Twice. I came home, walked in the house and canceled my car insurance. I knew I wouldn’t drive that car uninsured. My kids and friends were so proud of me. I was too, but habits you’ve had sixty-four-years are hard to break. Continue reading →

I have a partial, hand-written manuscript in my upstairs closet. It’s in a battered briefcase, along with a typed, complete MS that’s not too bad, actually. Those manuscripts are examples of what I was writing in May 1969 and June 1970. Continue reading →

Someone is always taking me to the doctor for a check up, and I hate going. Many times, at the end of the visit, the doctor will drag out a prescription pad and say, “I think I’ll give you some blank. Then he or she spouts a long medical name and casually inquires, “Are you allergic to that?” Continue reading →