My daughter is slowly acquiring a cat. It started when the cat in question showed up in our backyard, peering into our house. Nadia, being Nadia, generously fed the cat her cereal milk. Now the cat comes into our backyard every day, and sometimes sits in our front...

  After much reflection, I have decided to remove The Taxidermist and Rosemary’s Baby Daddy from the world. When I published those books, I was an immature writer who knew nothing about the publishing industry. In my mind, it was Step 1: Write a book Step 2: Self...

This was my daughter’s first week of T-K. It’s been a period of adjustment for both of us, as we get up early and go to a building where we learn the rules regarding weekly manilla envelopes and why my four year old’s shoulders are considered “inappropriate.” (I could...

I’m an introvert. (Surprise!) As an adult, I’m comfortable with it, but as a child I got a lot of grief for it; mainly because a lot of the adults in my life thought it was a wrong way to be. So I resolved that if I ever had a child, she would be welcome to spend all...

Today is my husband’s birthday, and as usual, figuring out what to get him is a nightmare. The man is hard to buy for. Everything he wants is astronomically expensive or something I don’t understand. Until an asteroid takes out the grid, my skills are useless to him....

Beavis and Butthead was one of my favorite shows as a kid. I watched it diligently, and I still think it’s hilarious, though perhaps not as genius as I once thought it was. Here’s the thing. Every time I tell someone that I miss Beavis and Butthead, or that I enjoyed...

In movies and books, clumsiness is always portrayed as a sweet, funny flaw. Oftentimes it’s downright charming. That’s because the writers have never had to live with clumsy people. I’m not an exceptionally graceful person, but I possess average dexterity and...

First of all, The Taxidermist is now available on Audible. If you want a free copy, let me know, I have some codes. Here is a link to the book. Get it. Allow my charming, hypnotic voice to fulfil you on a spiritual level....

It’s always important to have a backup plan. You might wonder what mine is, if this whole writing thing doesn’t work out. (Thank you for your confidence asshole.) While this is a silly thing to wonder, since my big break is obviously very close, I will address the...

My daughter loves playing outside. LOVES it. She’s like a little feral cat, or a hippie. If I let her, she would spend 100% of her time outside, like an animal.

I’m told that this is a good thing, mostly by people in my parents’ and grandparents’ generations. If you listen to older people talk, they basically spent the entirety of their childhoods outdoors, and it turned them into wonderful super people, and it’s just a shame that kids spend so much time indoors these days, and GET OFF MY LAWN!

In addition, there are lots of psychologists and scientists who say that fresh air and sunshine are important for healthy physical and psychological development, and you need to make sure your kids spend time outside.

Ok. Fine. Since the whole world seems to think that being outside is the best thing ever, I do it. Despite the lupus, and the fact that I need a tub of hypoallergenic sunscreen and a parasol, I do it. I dutifully take my child outside to play, every single day.

This is the worst breakfast you could possibly eat. I’ll show you the recipe and picture first, then I’ll explain myself.

Alright. I assume you’ve taken that in.

First of all, I get that some people like coffee, and believe that they need it to function in the morning. Bitter vomit flavor is appealing to lots of people. I don’t pretend to get it, but I understand it on an intellectual level. So on its face, a coffee smoothie sounds like a pretty good breakfast idea. You’re killing two birds with one stone, getting your coffee and nutrition all at once. But you guys, this is not the way to do it.

All this “smoothie” is is a milkshake. Read the ingredients again. It’s coffee, ice, dairy and chocolate. It could be argued that vanilla Greek yogurt is preferable to ice cream, but I raise my eyebrow. It’s basically the same thing. Sugar, cream, vanilla, in that order.

Hello! I will be doing a reading from my latest book, Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem, on July 2nd, at 6pm, at Altadena Library, main branch. There will be other writers there, and I will have some books to tell. Hope to see you there!

My short story, “Pete and Steve” is featured in this anthology. My story is about a grumpy old hermit whose life is disrupted when a feral boy shows up on his doorstep.   https://www.amazon.com/Bigfoot-Country-Alex-McGilvery-ebook/dp/B0D1NHPYH7

My short story, “A Biting Clown” is now featured on Does it Have Pockets. It’s a story about a clown who is sent to clown rehab for his inappropriate clowning. I hope you like it! Here’s a link.https://www.doesithavepockets.com/fiction/dana-hammer