THE FAMOUS--ARE THEY REALLY PEOPLE--JUST LIKE US?


Recently I came across a newspaper photo of actors who had appeared in the movie Goodfellas--and it occurred to me I had personally met two of them--Ray Liotta and Paul Sorvino. This led me to review the famous people I have met (however briefly) over the years. Here's my list:



1. Ray Liotta—I met him when he visited my roommate at a house we were renting in Union, NJ. He had grown up in that town. My roommate had been a student-teacher in the...

 

“BODY AND SPIRIT ARE TWINS: GOD ONLY KNOWS WHICH IS WHICH.”

AND SPIRIT ARE TWINS: GOD ONLY KNOWS WHICH IS WHICH.”

ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURN

I’ve always been fascinated by twins, especially identical twins. Having been brought up with the concept of the soul, I wonder what it means to be a twin. Does each twin have half of one soul? Does the soul split in two when the cells divide to create identical doubles, or even triples? Stories of twins, separated at birth, who find each other and discover...

 

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.

Oprah Winfrey
Is it too early to celebrate? I just signed a contract for the publication of my next book, a mystery. It won't be out until October or November.  I know, "There's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip," etc.
But--why not luxuriate in the excitement and joy available in the moment?

I celebrated when I signed my first contract with my first agent---a relationship that ended amicably over  artistic...

 

“I'd rather have cancer than a dishonest heart.”
TRUMAN CAPOTE 

It can be hard to take on a controversial issue. In personal writing it can be nearly impossible to confront a painful topic. Does that mean it’s not worth writing about? What to do when you’re torn between being honest and hurting someone’s feelings? Is “hands off” the right policy?

Truman Capote famously alienated his “friends” by revealing them with all their warts and wrinkles, lies, hypocrisy, and pretensions. Maybe it’s not...

The end of vacation is hard. Focus changes from relaxation and fun to everyday work and concerns. The long flight back to NJ from California is a time for a transition for me. I start thinking about, maybe even start writing the story I want to write for this week’s writers’ group meeting. 

Is work really work when you choose what and how much you want to do? No one is waiting eagerly to read what I write and yet I feel this pressure to create. My writing group helps me by giving me a deadline....

 

As a child I wrote poetry, stories, and plays. As a young adult I sent out my first novel to one prospective publisher and had it rejected. I went into a downward spiral of self doubt and anxiety and didn't write again for a long time. Anxiety can cripple your writing process. For years I "prepared" to write, jotting down ideas, organizing my desk, reading articles about developing story ideas and getting published--anything except actually writing. How did I break through my years (actual...