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...]
What Writers Dream Of
September 30, 2012 By
Friday was a bittersweet day. The arrival of the first box of books, like real, live books, y'all, was due at my publisher's office any minute. She told me she'd call the minute the shipment arrived. I tried not to think about it. I tried to remain focused on the pressing matters at hand, finalizing the last few tweaks on a video project for a corporate client: prison nurses -- the irony is just too rich sometimes. Of course the other thing that really had me … [Read more...]
Choose Carefully Your Dying Words
September 24, 2012 By
My mother would have been eighty-nine years old today. She’s been gone now since July of 2006. I still miss her and think of her every single day. We had a bit of a fiery relationship, I was the dutiful daughter, she was the domineering matriarch. Unlike me, my mother, Beverly Gene Waddell Hampton Goss Whatley Garcia, tended to be opinionated. Unlike me, she tended to enjoy making an entrance, often late. Unlike me she had a flair for drama, practiced at the … [Read more...]
We Cleave to Our Dogs
September 16, 2012 By
I just left my friend Michelle’s house. We took her dogs out just before I left. It’s almost gotten to the point where Roxie, her black standard poodle, needs to be carried down the stairs. The arthritis in her hind legs makes each step treachery. I don’t mind carrying her down. I’ll carry that dog any day of the week. She’s the Roxie, the queen dog at Michelle’s castle. She is as much the heart and soul of that home as Michelle and her son, Sam are. Roxie has been a … [Read more...]
A Legacy of Strength
August 30, 2012 By
A friend of mine asked his eight-year-old son last night, "what did you learn in school today?" Multiplication is looming large, with it being third grade and all. He told his dad, "We learned about carrying the pig today." The immediate assumption, of course, was that this was some clever invention of an enterprising teacher who was hoping that a visual reference might help the mathematical concept of carrying numbers stick. Au contraire. No math lesson here, it was … [Read more...]
Cathedral of the Quarter-mile
August 18, 2012 By
The school buses rattled past the dogs and me this past week when we were out on our morning walk. Annoying traffic. Pooty little kids. I've been cranky. What's wrong with me? Oh yeah, maybe it's because I was getting ready to birth a book. I've been pregnant for twelve months and I damned near had a blood clot in my leg from sitting for hours, my butt boring a hole through the chair, staring at tracked changes for like the sixth time inside two weeks. Be careful what … [Read more...]
Desperately Seeking Understanding, Maybe Even Fame
June 29, 2012 By
So Louie, the other dog has taken to jumping in through the open window of my car in the cool shade of the carport and sitting there like a cool cat, (even though he's a dog) waiting for me to discover him, which I typically do after a very short period of time, since I am so crazy about this crazy dog I miss him after about five minutes and thirty seconds. He apparently is expecting to go somewhere. If it's not an opportune time to take him and Libby for a spin, I … [Read more...]
Gary D
June 27, 2012 By
My brother Garrett would have been 61 years old today. That blows my mind, sixty-one ? You know what I'm talking about. What is more sobering is that come November 21st it will be ten years since his passing. Ten years? The "decade of disaster" as I've affectionately referred to it was ushered in with a phone call informing me of his death, followed by another phone call, just a few days later, that my former husband was in a shit load of trouble with the law, for … [Read more...]
To Honor My Brother Don
August 30, 2011 By
Last night Libby and I reached mile 8,000 on our journey across America. It was just about sundown, near Grainfield, Kansas. Could there be a more appropriate name for a prairie town? Grainfield? I pulled over and snapped a photo. It was a momentous day for a number of reasons - it would be our last night on the road, it was exactly one year ago yesterday that Libby inspired this little road trip, mocking me for not challenging the choke hold on my life. Reminding me … [Read more...]
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