Family Life Stories
Complex Marriages in Fiction
Since the moment my husband and I announced our engagement—twenty-six years ago—I’ve heard just about all the marriage advice imaginable. “Marry your best friend.” “Marriage is work.” “Don’t go to bed angry.” Cliches without specifics didn’t resonate with me then,...
Favorite Family Fiction of 2014
Book enthusiasts love to compile “best of” lists and post them at the end of December. Every year I consider doing it too, but when I sit down to write, I find myself bristling much like Emily Nussbaum did over creating a top ten list of TV shows. Not only is it...
Characters With Special Needs Make for Exceptional Stories
In May I had the honor of speaking at the American Montessori Conference in Dallas alongside the remarkable Temple Grandin, author of many nonfiction books, including The Autistic Brain. She mesmerized the audience, sharing anecdotes about her childhood and how her...
Father-Daughter Novels
My father walks me down the aisle. He does not look ahead to the altar, but rather stares adoringly at me. He whispers, “You will always be my girl.” Daddy is the first to arrive at the hospital after the birth of my daughter. He holds the tiny child so close and for...
Novels about Mental Health & Illness
We read fiction to learn about things we do not understand. We read it to imagine lives unlike our own, or to commiserate with lives exactly like the ones that we are living. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), more than 4 percent of all...
What I’m reading now!
Lots of readers ask me what I read for pleasure. Favorite books. Go to authors. I read almost every genre and I read a lot, so I thought I'd give you a glimpse inside my reading list. I'll try to post selections once a month and I welcome you to share what you're...