In Praise of Color
In Praise of Color Deanna Raybourn’s terrific novel Killers of a Certain Age starts with the retirement cruise of a trio of crone assassins. As a special surprise, their erstwhile boss has hired a younger killer to bump them off mid-cruise. Once the women overcome their hitman and safely land, they get away with murdering their […]
Setting Lights the Way
Setting Lights the Way I love talking to authors about where their ideas come from, and I’m fascinated by the small seeds that blossom over time into a full-fledged novel. In workshops, I hear about starting the writing process with a character in mind (a nurse, grieving the death of her nephew), and one of […]
When Zebras Meet
When Zebras Meet Managing Under-Researched Conditions I’ve written before about the old medical school mantra, “When you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras.” In other words, consider the common diagnoses first. Sounds reasonable; but keep in mind that the saying originated back when medical school was a white guys’ club. In practice, “Horses, not zebras,” too […]
It’s Our Time!
It’s Our Time! Women 50 & Beyond Need Our Own Mature-Age College Pathway Older women in Australia, the UK and the US came of age when women had limited access to higher education (thus limiting our access to higher paid careers). Providing a ready pathway to complete our education could address the financial and social […]
Crafting My Book of Essays
Crafting My Book of Essays Let’s say you have been writing essays for years. Might be blogs; might be Substack essays; might be short nonfiction in magazines. Perhaps writing essays was your primary goal, or you may have intended these pieces as publicity to lure readers to your books. But eventually these shorter works begin […]
Had to Get this Off My Chest
Had to Get this Off My Chest. I can picture her white uniform, and the cap from her Chicago nursing school pinned to her dark, curly hair. The year is 1953. She is 27, a floor nurse at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. She’s in motion all day, bringing medications, lifting and turning patients. She […]
