Adventures in writing and living, from the shores of Portland, Maine.

maine women magazines and notebooks

Curves Ahead

In October 2017, I had coffee with a friend, a woman I had worked with while soliciting art for the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine auction. I was beginning to think about freelance writing, and I knew she had contacts in the publishing world. She connected me with three… 

old red VW

Firsts

There’s something about firsts. Most of us can recall them vividly. First kiss, first car, first job, first heartbreak. The specifics of time and place come easily to mind, but so do auxiliary details like smell, touch, sound, and taste. The strong feelings attached to firsts help sear these powerful… 

Rt. 11 north of Bangor, Maine

No Words North of Bangor

Holy moly, how is it November? There is much to report. I’m going to pretend it’s still September and start with a trip I’ve always wanted to take. A trip to the north. I grew up in rural Maine, in a small town outside Augusta. I’m no stranger to the… 

Summer Slide

Well, that’s a wrap. Summer has come and gone, the kiddo is back in school, and it’s time to dust off the ol’ blog. I had every intention of writing in June. And July. And August. But let’s face it: Summer in Maine is fleeting. Living three miles from the… 

Hustle While You Wait

I have a manuscript currently submitted to publishers. It’s been submitted for over six months. OVER… SIX… MONTHS. I keep reminding myself that it took The Philosopher’s Stone nearly a year to find a home. But still. Over six months. And counting. My agent, while always cautious with her words,… 

Words In Body Bags

Sometimes I open the folder on my desktop entitled WRITING and scroll through all the Word documents that have lived and died on my hard drive. I looked just now, for the purpose of this post. There are twenty-three of them. Twenty-three stories I’ve started in the past eight years, twelve I’ve completed… to the tune of (at least) 300 pages a pop…