The Dude Abides, Revisited

I sent this picture to my special gentleman friend over the weekend. He was out of town. With 75%  percent of my offspring in town, I suggested we go bowling to work off some of that pecan pie. And here's the pic my dude sent me in  response.  Completely apropos, considering the story I published on A Woman With a Past: The Post-Apocalyptic Approach to Men, nearly two years ago to the day, on November 27, 2009. Many things have changed since then. Three things have … [Read more...]

The Privilege of Breathing

It was one of those "stuck behind a truck with a ladder" moments yesterday. Do you ever feel this way? Like your entire life is stuck in slow moving traffic?  Zero forward momentum? I’ve frequently joked that “My Life Behind a Plumbing Truck” will be the title of my next book. Lord knows this book isn’t moving fast enough. Most authors, unless they’re either lying or have no ego, (unlikely)  will tell you that they dream of their book being on the New York Times Best … [Read more...]

St. Louis Launch and a Whole Lotta Love

Thanks to all the wonderful folks who turned out last night for the kick-off event at Subterranean Books in the famous U City Loop in St. Louis. I tried not to be too loopy. That made my publisher, Blank Slate Press,  very happy. This is just a brief snippet from the evening. Oh believe, me, there will be more. Peace and love. … [Read more...]

Nothing Like Some Funk

I knew it was a good omen when the lead-in to my interview on KTRS, THE BIG 550 A.M. was The Average White Band's, Pick Up the Pieces.  When you get an extra fourteen minutes, (I understand that's a lot)  give a listen to a fun interview, tragic backstory notwithstanding, to the interview I did on Thursday with St. Louis radio host, McGraw Milhaven. After you click on the link, click on the AUDIO tat, and it's the show dated 10-25-12. Just click the right arrow on … [Read more...]

Plunging Necklines? No Need!

You know that old saying, "you've got a face for radio?" I'll be applying the pipes come tomorrow morning on The McGraw Show on KTRS, The BIG 550, A.M. in St. Louis. I will be on the air in the 9:00 hour, probably close to 9:15 -- 9:20. McGraw Milhaven and his producer, Frank Ladd have graciously asked me back to be on McGraw's show, after being the first radio station in St. Louis to feature Libby and I, on the VERY day we embarked ( all puns intended) on our road trip … [Read more...]

Sometimes You Feel Like a Stump, Sometimes You Don’t

Okay, I told you guys I looked like a stump on the set of New Mexico Style, the TV news magazine on KASA-FOX 2 in Albuquerque. While I was tremendously appreciative of the opportunity to talk about Off the Leash in my hometown, I wish to hell SOMEBODY on the studio crew would have said, "hey Jean, pull your blouse down in the back and sit up straight, closer to the edge of the couch, instead of with your butt sunk down into the bean-bag like cushions." As they say in New … [Read more...]

Brave Enough to Sing Our Song?

I went to a concert tonight. The headliner was a kick-ass country, alternative band called The Old 97s. Most of them hail from Texas, ‘nuff said. The Old 97s, and their touring manager Mike, had graciously allowed me and my scrappy band of videographers (a.k.a. my stellar son Nathan, some sweet guys at Bad Dog Video, who loaned me gear, and both sons Nate and Pat, plus a film school buddy Phil who edited) the chance to shoot a pilot for a reality TV show which I’d cooked … [Read more...]

Subterranean News

I'm like shuddering, but in a good way. Not the way you shudder when you see a spider, more like the way you shudder when you think about someone who kisses you and it makes you crazy, but in a good way. Ah, but I digress. I'm shuddering with excitement over my first St. Louis book signing. It will be at Subterranean Books, 6275 Delmar Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63130 on Monday, October 29th, 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Call 314.862.6100 or visit www.subbooks.com for more … [Read more...]

Brotherly Love

The first person to show up for my first-ever book signing was my little brother Paul. It’s a good thing the restaurant manager didn’t throw him out. He does, after all, look like a homeless person. That’s because he is. Sure, he couch surfs from one person’s house to the next, until something or somebody nudges him to the next. Paul’s been without a couch to call home since my mother passed away six years ago and I honestly don’t know how he continues to survive, but … [Read more...]

Life in America on Route 66

You know you're back in Indian country when you're scanning the radio dial seeking more spin after the big debate, (I'm a masochist) and instead of pundits you come across Navajo drum music. It was so fitting that I tuned in to that familiar sound just as took I-40 east heading to Albuquerque. In a further cultural mishmosh which is the very definition of the America that  I know, I pulled into a motor court here on old Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ because I was just too … [Read more...]