Genre Isn’t Destiny

One of my friends has strong opinions about genre and gender. That’s fine. We all are entitled to our own particular taste in fiction. We can have friendly debates about the best genre or the best book in a genre. As long as it’s all in good fun, no harm comes to anyone. But best…

Stories, Time, and Life

Yesterday I talked to my husband about “time-boxing,” trying to figure out how to schedule myself and how to deal with habits I built up over the course of two years being up-ended. Then last night I received a kind gift from Kristine Kathryn Rusch: her book on  Time Management. It felt as if she…

Heart-Thumping Good

I read an amazing short story last night. Halfway through, my heart started to beat faster. By the end of the story my heart thumped so hard I could barely hear other thoughts as they tried to slip edgewise into my mind. I read a lot of short stories. In fact I’m doing nothing but…

A Matter of Taste

My first undergraduate program was English Literature because I wanted to write and thought that was my way in. We read all the greats and I tried desperately to like them, but most did nothing for me or I actively disliked them. Now for the short story intensive, I am reading them again: Hemingway, Welty,…