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 […]
Vampire as Crone Metaphor
Vampire as Crone Metaphor Five years ago I had terrific fun writing my first novel. Brilliant Charming Bastard is the story of three women scientists in their sixties who join forces for smart revenge when they discover they are dating the same lying dilettante (who is stealing their ideas). I loved pushing back on social […]
Invisible to Invincible: The Next Crone Age
Invisible to Invincible: The Next Crone Age Imagine this scenario: You’re walking down the street on a warm spring day, enjoying the shop windows full of artfully displayed wares. People smile and nod. Some wave. Some pause to admire you as you pass, maybe one or two even whistle in appreciation. Then you turn a […]
Women in Artificial Intelligence
Women in Artificial Intelligence On December 19, 2024, having finished my holiday shopping, I was relaxing by browsing Substack articles about one of my passions, AI (artificial intelligence) (Yes, that’s relaxing. Proud data geek here!). I came across a post by an author I won’t name. He asked four questions of ten Substack authors writing […]
10 Things to Know When You Turn Sixty
10 Things to Know When You Turn Sixty “Aging happens, because we cannot stop it, and it is not what we feared.” –Victoria Smith, Hags On the morning of my sixtieth birthday party, my firstborn and I walked to a breakfast cafe in Berkeley. “It’s funny,” I said. “I don’t feel old. I feel great.” […]
On Taking Space
On Taking Space (Inner and Outer) In her poem, “Fire,” poet Judy Brown reminds us that fuel is not the only thing a fire needs; a fire also burns because of space between the logs. Space enables fire in the same way that space rekindles attraction between longtime partners. Space also revives us when we […]
