The funny thing was, these students weren’t even trying to make anything good. They were just being goofy. It was a great story, so I did what any writer would do; I stole it. I think more and more we’re becoming a society that relies on experts to tell us what to think and even how to act. Can we really be sure that Dr. Phil knows more than those unfortunate Modigliani experts?
Do you do a lot of readings at schools?
I used to hate public speaking and swore I’d never do it. Now I love visiting schools and libraries and conventions and do so as much as I can.
Do you have other books (coming soon or in the works)?
I’m working on a couple right now. The one that seems most ready to come together is a mystery/adventure/humor story called My Kind of Crazy, which takes place in Lake Placid, New York. I’m having a great time with it.
How has the Internet helped you? What do you think of writing communities such as Todays-Woman.net?
I think websites like Today's Woman Writing Community are great. As huge corporations continue to gain an ever more insidious stranglehold on news and public discussion, I think the Internet may be what saves us. It also makes it so easy to look things up and find other people who share your interests. Keep up the good work.
What do you do when you’re not writing?
I love to travel, which is good since writing has given me many opportunities to do so. I like reading, I like movies, I like walking around looking at things. I find that as I get older and less stressed out, life just keeps getting more interesting. I even like it when I have a two hour layover at an airport and I can just hang out and read and write and just kind of watch lives as they flow past me.
If you could leave others with one bit of advice or words of wisdom, what would you have to share?
As people much smarter than I am have reminded us throughout the ages, the only life you have is what is taking place now. The past is gone and the future never quite arrives; it only becomes the present. Yet most of us are have our minds mired almost exclusively in the past or the future. Think about your happiest moments, and I bet they were times when you were totally immersed in the present – looking at a beautiful landscape or enjoying a movie or whatever. I’m beginning to think that’s what enlightenment is – just having the ability to exist fully in the moment. I’m working on that.
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