lindawis This afternoon, I printed out the manuscript of my novel about my ancestor, Regina Culisz. She lived in the 18th century in the Austrian Empire, in what is now Poland. I’m a memoir writer, but I know very little about this woman, so I’m going to have to tell her story as fiction. In other … Read more
This morning, after a breakfast of mushroom and tomato omelets at the Edward Harris Inn, we left Rochester, New York in blowing snow and ten degrees F. When we arrived there yesterday,plenty of snow lay on the ground, and the night was cold and windy. First, dinner at a British style pub – fish and … Read more
A guest at my house once said I live “in the middle of nowhere.” Today it feels like living on the runway of Newark Airport. I heard what sounded like a jet engine outside this morning. The farmer who comes around once a year, in September, to mow the hay field across the road, has … Read more
This week I’ve been enjoying a wonderful novel by Rachel Pastan. Lady of the Snakes is an artful, satisfying story about a young woman’s struggle to create a meaningful career, be a good parent, and sustain a loving marriage. When men do all those things at the same time, we call it – well, we … Read more
Since a large part of Off Kilter is about growing up Polish-American, I’m curious about how other writers have thought about their ethnic heritage. I’ve created a workshop called “Writing Our Cultural Traditions,” and presented it at three different conferences – in Austin and Houston, TX and in Blue Bell, PA. One of the examples … Read more
Looking forward to the second annual Rosemont Writers’ Retreat, presented by Rosemont College and PhiladelphiaStories, especially since they just awarded me a scholarship! I’ll be studying Novel Writing with Marc Schuster, going to readings every day and practicing yoga before breakfast. The event is June 14-19, and a weekend version is June 12-14. More info … Read more
This afternoon, I drove through rainy Bucks and Northampton Counties to Westminster Village, a retirement center in Allentown, PA. The activities people invited me to talk to residents on National Letter Writing Day about The Healing Power of Writing. A small group of women had spent the morning making greeting cards with scrapbooking materials. I … Read more
The novel is slowly taking shape, mainly because I am writing it. Who knew? LOLThese things don’t happen by themselves. A friend asked me if my characters are taking over and telling me what they want to do next. I wish they would! My characters are just standing around, doing laundry and shopping…
Last week, I did my first video interview via webcam about my book, Off Kilter, for Dr. Sally Witt’s radio talk show on the web. But first…I had to buy a webcam, set it up, and fix my hair! It was fun talking with Sally, who I met about 15 years ago at a women … Read more
The Epley Maneuver works! For me, anyway. My physical therapist repositioned the little rocks in my head, called otoconia, by taking me through a series of head turning positions. The first time made me very dizzy for about 15 seconds, then…I was cured! I have more exercises to improve my sense of balance, but I … Read more