My First . . .

I figure that in my first blog post I should introduce myself. And perhaps explain or justify why the world needs another blog.

Let me start with the introduction. I'm almost 47. I'm a mom/stepmom to five between the ages of 14 and 22. I taught high school English for 12 years. I'm a midwestern girl. Last summer, I became a published author when my novel ALL THE NUMBERS was released July 25. As my husband is fond of saying, he's getting to watch me live out the dream that began when I was nine--something few adults get to do (for instance, his dream at that age was to play first base for the Chicago Cubs). I'm now writing full-time which isn't exactly what it sounds like--I don't sit at a computer for eight hours composing and pulling my hair out. It's more likely that I'm sitting on the sofa (or, in nice weather, my front porch adirondack chair), getting sucked into whatever story Meredith Viera is telling, swilling coffee, trying to convince any of the five kids who live in this house that I'm working even though I'm still wearing my PJs, and trying to find the self-discipline to turn off the TV and the computer so I can write 15 pages. Oh, and for those of you still reading, I write my first draft in longhand, hence the necessity of turning off the computer (otherwise, I get sucked into checking my e-mail, amazon ranking and other's blogs!). Then, I have to fix my lunch. Whew.

Now, to try to justify this use of cyberspace--this is a work in progress. I hope to post two or three times a week. At this point, I'm planning to talk about what it's like to be a writer (fascinating, I'm sure), tips and suggestions for other writers, general musings about being a mom, chatter about books I love and writers I meet, and anything else I can think of. Suggestions are always welcome. Please, send me questions or comments (if nothing else, it will provide fodder for future posts!)

Next week, I'm headed to the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans (http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/), so I'll be sure to post about that--I'll be presenting a Master Class with my editor and agent. I'll also get to schmooze (if I'm lucky) with Richard Ford and Calvin Trillin. (And perhaps I'll have discovered how to link all these names within the text. But, don't hold your breath.)