Writing is like being a doctor. You have to keep up with the way things are done. Remember the good old days when a woman in labor was anesthetized in the hospital, and the father-to-be went through a pack of cigarettes in the waiting room? Nowadays, as long as it’s a natural birth, an expectant mother has the option to stay awake during the entire procedure, and anyone they want can be with them in the delivery room.
I was reminded of changing times recently while working with my editor at DLD Books on The Red Dress, which will be out soon. At one point, she suggested breaking a run-on sentence into two sentences in such a way that the second one started with “but.” Having been raised by English teachers, I’d been taught, almost from Day 1, that starting a sentence with a conjunction like “but” is a deadly sin. So, I suggested leaving out the “but” in the second sentence. She pointed out that the sentence would be clearer with the “but” and sighted current sources that say it’s okay to start a sentence with a conjunction.
I realized that it was time to let this expectant mother stay awake during her birthing process and allow Dad and Grandma in the delivery room. Writing is also like falling. You go down butt first.
Coming Soon: The Red Dress: A Novel
When Eve went to her high school senior prom, she wore a red dress that her mother had made for her. That night, after dancing with the boy of her dreams, she caught him in the act with her best friend. Months later, Eve, a freshman in college, is bullied into giving the dress to her roommate. After her mother finds out, their relationship is never the same again.
Twenty-five years later, Eve, a bestselling author, is happily married with three children. Although her mother suffers from dementia, she still remembers, and Eve still harbors the guilt for giving the dress away. When she receives a Facebook friend request from her old college roommate and an invitation to her twenty-five-year high school class reunion, then meets her former best friend by chance, she must confront the past in order to face the future.
My Other Books
My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds
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That’s Life: New and Selected Poems
How to Build a better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver
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