Friday morning I was completely discombobulated. I had had four hours of sleep (my fault) and I needed to grocery shop, write a blog post, submit an essay, respond to to the internet love coming my way (for which I’m so grateful), and then pack because my high school friends and I were heading to…
Read MoreThere is nothing like reading for 125 people you love. Nothing. Twenty minutes before each reading I’ve done over the years, I think, okay, this is it, no one is going to come. (And I actually have done a reading in a bookstore where no one came until the bookseller strong-armed a few shoppers. It ended…
Read MoreWell, it’s here, launch day. I have spent the morning curled in the blue chair in our living room, reading through the passages I’ve picked to read tonight the Loft. I laughed a little and cried a little. Hopefully I’ll hold it together tonight. We’ll see. Please come down and celebrate with me if you…
Read MoreMy friend and former student, Emily Hedges, who is also the dynamo behind my blog book tour, said one of the most wonderful things about Ready for Air. She said, “Your book is a book that people want to share. When someone has a premature baby, you feel so helpless…like with my step-daughter. It made me feel so…
Read MoreWell, today is the official release date for Ready for Air. It seems unreal, but there you have it. Of course I’ve written about my struggles to get this book out into the world. And yet, here I am, with my first review under my belt. And I want you to know that I couldn’t…
Read MoreEvery morning this week, after Donny and I have walked the girls to the bus stop, I’ve said, “Ah, I love to work at home.” And I do. There is no rushing to shower and get dressed, no driving across town to sit in an either too hot or too cold office, no trying to…
Read MoreThis morning the doorbell rang at ten o’clock. A FedEx driver handed me a thin package. When I turned it over I saw that it was from University of Minnesota Press, my publisher. I tore it open and there it was—my book. The cover is so smooth, matte finish, just as I’d hoped. It’s paperback,…
Read MoreToday marked the beginning of the great emptying of the house. Stella went back to school and D went back to work, and on Wednesday Zoë will begin kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! She’s a little worried, I think, about making new friends and learning a new system. A couple of times in the last week she’s mentioned…
Read MoreGreat news! I’m thrilled to announce that Use Your Words is Pregnancy & Newborn magazine’s book club pick for April. Whoop! You can read my interview with them here. Also, Pregnancy & Newborn just launched its first Motherhood Essay contest. This is where you come in, my friends. The winner will receive $300, and two runners up…
Read MoreEight and a half years ago, I went to the coffee shop near my house, ordered a decaf coffee, and sat down with paper and pen. I hadn’t written in months and wasn’t even sure I had the mental capacity to still string together words into sentences. It was cold outside, February in Minnesota, streetlights…
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