When my kids were little, we watched iCarly together. I spent my non-house husband hours composing apocalyptic fiction, so iCarly was a nice break. It was a silly, cozy, comfort watch curled up with the children on the couch. My bailiwick is crime fiction and dystopian stuff, but there’s definitely a place for low-stakes stories where you know everything will work out fine. That feeling is tarnished now that we know the truth about the abuse and controversy on the Nickelodeon set. However, I’ve discovered a great authorial voice in the finding-out phase.
I’m Glad My Mom Diedwas published in 2022.I’m late to the party on this, but I just finished listening to Jeannette McCurdy narrate her amazing memoir. It’s a fantastic book: stark, funny by turns, sad and infuriating. Jeanette’s manipulative and abusive mother was a monster who forced her child into a life she didn’t want. The author became laden with heavy burdens that damaged her self-esteem, her relationships, and her health. It was so heartbreaking to see Jeanette do all she could to please and appease her stage mother from hell. No matter how hard Jeannette tried, Mommy could never be satisfied.
From the description, you might pass on a crushingly sad celebrity memoir. Don’t. This book deserves to be on your shelf. Better, listen to the audiobook. The author narrates I’m Glad My Mom Died herself, and her performance is superb. She doesn’t want to act anymore, but she is a great talent. Besides a compelling narrative, Jeannette McCurdy’s relentlessly honest voice will keep you riveted. The author has such a fine gift for observation. Her ironic juxtapositions of the profound and the mundane made me smile while I still had tears in my eyes.This child star’s story is a journey to self-awareness and understanding. In the beginning, she’s so innocent in the ways of the world. She matures into a such a sharp and witty person that you’ll think of Dorothy Parker at her breezy, quippy best.
You’ll be glad to know Jeannette’s memoir ends on a clear-minded and hopeful note. She has declared her acting career is over, but I sincerely hope her literary career has just begun.
The writing workshop in Toronto is coming up in a couple of weeks. I am preparing to pitch literary agents for Vengeance Is Hers. Four agents I would consider partnering with are at the workshop. I have three others in mind, as well. Part of the prep work is to have the partial ready for their review. I have a sample ready.
Hot tip:
If you are pitching to agents or just want to give away a sample of your work for a book fair, a signing, or some other such trial by fire, get a QR code. I do have a presentation package for agents, but I won’t be lugging around a manuscript like some early 19th century peasant. I’m a modern ink-stained wretch. Instead, I’ll just give the QR code to link to the partial. If they want more, I’ve provided an email for further inquiries.
What’s New?
I have added menus to this website. Above, you’ll find links to my bio and what reviewers say about my work. The pitch and partial for Vengeance Is Hers is found under For Literary Agents. Of course, if you aren’t a literary agent but want a sneak peek of a badass story about a young woman on a righteous quest for revenge, enjoy a taste of vengeance!
We love Americans, but we’re fed up with His Golden Weakness. We are angry with the new administration and Trump’s wild lies. He has declared a trade war on us and other allies. He deals in threats, but we’re all going to hurt financially. This isn’t just about money, either. There will be mortal wounds, too.
Families will be broken up and displaced as xenophobia continues to rise. Women and minorities will continue to be disenfranchised. Millions will be denied health care and impoverished as a handful of billionaires laugh and hoard their money. Human rights will be denied. There is no long-term strategic thinking here. Instead, he lies and blames vulnerable and powerless groups for any and all problems. There is no regard for facts or expertise. Even freedom of speech, long-cherished and lauded by Americans, is off the tablewith his latest edict to quell protests on campuses. The bullying tactics won’t end there.
“The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.” ~ Elon Musk
“The fundamental basis of a civilization is empathy and cooperation. Also, fuck off, Phony Stark. You asked for the chance to solve world hunger and decided not to.” ~ Robert Chazz Chute
As the POTUS devalues Canadians, insults us, and demands we bend the knee, his citizens are hostages to his whims. Those who don’t understand that soon will. Canada was the United States’ biggest customer.We’re trying to buy Canadian products and services now. We’re resisting when and where we can. The wait has begun.
How long before his supporters (those who aren’t TFG*) realize he’s hurting them more than helping?Will we have to wait until polio comes raging back? Will it be grocery prices skyrocketing, the inability to buy a car, or another pandemic that finally gives his believers pause? How long before his cult wakes from their sleep to realize that no one is made stronger in isolation?
The bright future we all dream of is struggling for air. He can’t say he’s the leader of the free world anymore. Former American allies are turning away from the madness and chaos. We will still move toward that hoped-for future, but at a slower pace now.Fascism is on the rise, and we are all getting pulled into a war where there is no winner.
I sell most of my novels in the United States, so yes, this post could hurt me financially. Someone is bound to be offended as I call for an end to bullying, fascism, and foolish decisions based on ego. However, fiction is the lie that tells the truth. I always try to tell the truth.The truth is, you, reading this right now, are in danger. We’re all in danger.I just hope the whole mess is not TFG.
She Who Must Be Obeyed and I had a grand day out on Saturday. Though the egg crisis has finally hit us (fewer eggs, higher prices), at least we got out. That’s unusual. She bought shoes, and I got free popcorn at Skechers.
The highlight for me is always browsing bookstores. Not all chains are alike. When I was a book rep, I remember walking into a chain store in Brampton. It was as if all they had were remaindered books. The inventory was a mile wide and an inch deep. The Chapters in the south end of our city is far superior to the Indigo in the north end. I would have thought their inventory would be basically the same, but not so!
Funny, when I first visited Toronto, SWMBO asked what more I wanted to see of her city. Easy! Take me to all the used bookstores! She replied that she had already taken me to all the used bookstores. My suitcase was much heavier heading back to Halifax.
When I look at these pics, I so respect all the work that went into writing and publishing these books. Since my brain works the way it does, I thought, what a great bookstore! And I’ll never live long enough to devour all the books I want to read! Damn! Well, I’ll put a dent in that TBR pile, anyway.
Because of my illness in December, my birthday was a bust. Compensation arrived when SWMBO bought a bunch of books for me! For starters, I am reading Getting Signed. It’s about finding an agent and landing a book deal, and it’s really helping me prepare for my upcoming pitch meetings.
Toronto’s World’s Biggest Bookstore was my shrine until it closed. City Lights Bookshop in London is pretty good (and absolutely crammed). Fanfare Books in Stratford has stock that is expertly curated. It may be small, but they carry stuff you won’t find anywhere else, including my books! Another great one is Munro’s Books in Victoria, British Columbia. When you walk in there, a pleasurable and leisurely afternoon of book browsing lies ahead.
Have you got a favorite bookstore? What is it, where is it, and what drew you to it?
Good news isn’t here yet, but it’s coming. Something interesting is happening. A fire has started, and the Resistance is beginning to rise. If you’re on TikTok, you need to check out two things: #worldtok and #bostontok. I found a lot of hope for the future there. Let me explain why, and maybe your mood will improve, too.
#WorldTok
I listen to a lot of American creators. Unsurprisingly, the messages from the Divided States of America are mixed. It’s a culture at war with itself. A creator can make a trenchant argument, but it often falls on deaf ears. It’s not because of shadow banning or malicious reporting of accounts (though that does occur). It’s because the debaters are unwilling to hear solid factual information based on data. They’re not there to engage. They’re there to yell. They aren’t listening, and they have little ability to self-regulate. Guys yelling “Trump!” and pretending that’s the end of the debate have to get muted often.
Please note: There is a vast chasm between an assertion and an argument. To demonstrate, here is an example from a recent TikTok debate:
“He’s the best because I say he’s the best! And I’m an alpha!” (Those are two dubious assertions.)
Reasonable Reply: “Let me tell you about the number of follies, dangers, and pitfalls ahead for this administration. Look at this bill here. For starters, the GOP plan does not include his no tax on tips campaign promise — “
Yelling over the host: “Pussy!” (That’s also an assertion, not an argument.”
Coarse friction is not the way things often go on #worldtok. Watching creators from other countries share their thoughts is actually calming. They discuss moving away from the United States politically and financially. Americans can object to that reality. I understand why they would. However, the POTUS expects friends and allies to grovel at his feet. He pursues isolationist policies. No wonder so many have decided to cut ties with the USA. Your leadership moved away from us first.
Pushing the world toward nuclear proliferation isn’t good. Pushing allies away from trade with the US and toward China isn’t necessarily great. I do like listening to the thoughtful garden party discussions on #worldtok, though. It’s solution-oriented. There’s a lot less yelling and a lot more listening.
Note to Americans: The common message is, “We don’t hate American citizens, but their leader sure is a petulant asshole. We used to see the States as strong. Trump is both silly or dangerous.
#BostonTok
Tom Homan, the head of ICE, warned Bostonians to get out of his way. He made it sound like Boston was about to be under siege by ICE agents. With much contempt, he threatened Boston, adding, “Hell’s coming with me!” (Jesus H. Murphy, this fuckin’ guy! Don’t ruin a great line from the movie Tombstone. Kurt Russell must hate this.)
Besides, “hell,” the way Wyatt Earp meant it, conveys that justice is coming. ICE hunting and detaining the undocumented, the documented, and American citizens with accents has nothing to do with justice. It does sound like hell, though.
The tough-guy posturing backfired in an extremely delightful way. Boston pride is strong, and they don’t like to be pushed around in ICE’s quest to round up immigrants. Boston school boards have already sprung into action to protect children. Bus drivers are under orders to keep the kids on the bus if ICE agents are waiting for them. Bostonians are moved to protect the undocumented and tell ICE officers to piss off. Gotta say, Boston has never been cooler.
A sampling #BostonTok responses from Bostonians:
“We started a revolution here before. Ever heard of the Tea Party? We’ll tip Teslas into the harbor.”
“Hell’s coming with you? Comin’ to Boston, that’s like taking sand to the beach.”
“You don’t understand Boston, or New England.”
“You’re gonna get chased down the street by a leprechaun with a fuckin’ baseball bat!”
“Don’t start a fight with the Irish.”
“You don’t get Boston Strong. Twelve years ago, we shut down the whole city just to get two people! You thnk we’re gonna put up with ya?”
And best of all, my favorite comment comes right out of Spider-Man:
“YOU COME FOR ONE OF US, YOU COME FOR ALL OF US!”
I got teary when I heard that line in the movie. Teared up again hearing it on #bostontok.That is the motto of true defenders.That’s the resistance energy we need.
You know what else is great? These messages are coming from ordinary but passionate and compassionate people. It’s not a bunch of roided-up bravado from a bunch of dude-bros on too many testosterone shots and beer kegs. They don’t sound like Tom Homan, at all. Instead, many of the defenders are women. A bunch are older women, too. They’ll organize. They’ll protest. They’ll find ways to change hearts and minds. They’ll make politicians understand their seats of power are not thrones. The leaders’ job is to serve the American people, not kick all the supports out from the so-called “underclasses.”
I do not hope for violence, of course. That would harm innocent people and could be highly counterproductive. However, I appreciate the shift in energy from helplessness to proud defiance.
The first five weeks of DJT’s reign have been riddled with mistakes and disasters. Damage is done to international relationships that will take generations to repair. The world is changing, and the next four years will be perilous. There is hope, though. People who voted for him are beginning to see how he’ll hurt them.
As the injuries pile up and the regrets deepen, his popularity will plummet. It’s already happening. The negative outcomes will be terrible, but we are beginning to see cracks in his power base. It’s early in his administration, and he’s flailing, lashing out in every direction. His only clear loyalties are to Teflon Muck, Putin, and himself. More of his subjects will remember their nation was forged in defiance of the whims of kings.
The Resistance has begun. It’s a low hum in the background at the moment. Someday, maybe soon, it will finally grow to a roar.
Something I’ve noticed lately is the number of people who end conversations with, “Stay safe.” We didn’t used to say that so often, but we sure do now. Given all that’s going on, that makes lots of sense. Besides the carelessness of those in power, misinformation, and disinformation are a couple of reasons why we’re in danger. Today, I have thoughts on why that is.
Alternatively, you can skip to the bottom of this post for stress management suggestions.
In our stupid timeline, there is no social cost for being a rabid conspiracy theorist. RFK, for instance, says he wants to make sure vaccines are safe. That will be difficult to prove to him since he doesn’t believe existing scientific research. He is dangerous, and more people will die because of him. His reward? More power to enact his dumbassery.
More Knuckleheads
It’s so strange to see people arguing the world is flat. How does that flashback to the ancient world fit? As they argue, they’re bouncing the twit signal off satellites to their cell phones. We have so much information at our fingertips, but some of us are terrible at critical thinking.
Flat Earthers are easy to stump. Are all the pilots on Earth in on it? What’s their motivation? Is Big Oblate Sphere paying everybody off? Why? How? If the Earth is flat, why can’t I see all the aircraft at once with a telescope? And we don’t have a single picture of the great ice wall that keeps us from falling off the edge? Weird. What could the explanation be? Are the answers stupid? They’re stupid, aren’t they?
There is evidence that informed and bright is no picnic in the park, either.
But back to dumbassery. If the conspiracy theorists know something you don’t, they can feel superior. Go deeper, and you’ll find their fear. They are searching for a feeling of control in a world that is out of control. For that, I sympathize. I feel for them because they’re right about something. They’re trying to claw back some power wherever they can because they feel helpless.
In some regard, we are all helpless.
Things can go along great, but then a crack in your windshield shatters your budget. You feel good and strong, but then the doctor calls to talk about that recent blood test. We are all subject to the changing whims of global political forces. Hundreds of variables can affect your stress. A bit of delusional thinking can really aid in alleviating that problem. We feel more power when we ignore certain things (e.g. mortality, the underpaid underclasses, and that your cat often thinks about eating you).
Control is an illusion.
Jean-Luc Picard said that, so it must be true. But where does that leave us? How about we take our delusions of grandeur in a more useful and positive direction? Here are my humble suggestions:
Be more social. It extends your life. (As an introvert, I’m wary of this, but I’m trying.)
Support your friends.
Accept support.
Read more fiction that you know is fiction.
Read credible non-fiction books(i.e. not RFK’s book).
Ease up on the doom scrolling.
Make more jokes. Find more reasons to laugh.
Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t do.
Self-care might mean a spa day, but a long hot bath or shower after a walk in the woods is cheaper.
Stretch and take more deep abdominal breaths to make your nervous system less nervous.
Help someone else, and you’ll feel better.
Start on that thing you’ve been putting off for months that will take less than twenty minutesto complete.
For bigger projects, just start on a small bit. Tell yourself you’ll only tackle it for a short time. You’ll probably get more done. Starting is hard. Continuing is easier.
Ask yourself, “Is this thing I’m doing giving me value?” (It’s okay to stop doing things that aren’t helping you.)
Ask yourself, “Am I setting myself on fire to keep others warm?” (I’ve done this one a lot!)
Those mistakes you made long ago? You regret them. The person who made those mistakes isn’t you anymore, are they?
To preserve your energy and sanity, stop trying so hard to change others. Start with you. People resent a good example less than a doofus slinging decrees.
People say love is the answer (though fudge yields the same happy hit on the neurons).
Give up on measuring your accomplishments by other people’s metrics.Your happiness is not about what you should want. It’s about what you really want.
When the oxygen masks drop on the plane, you put the mask on your face first so you can breathe. Only then can you assist others. Take care of yourself.Stay safe.
One of the strangest turns in the news came this week when an alarming and easily predicted future became mundane history. Trump posted, “Long live the King.” That wasn’t surprising. However, some of his cult members backed him by celebrating. “Trump is king!” Many of these same folks post 1776 in their social media bios. Knuckleheaded knuckledraggers may know their country’s history. It seems they’ve abandoned the values they claimed they most cherished. Monarchy is back, baby! Get used to it!
Reminds one of the so-called evangelicals who, last year, decided to let go the gentler teachings of Christ. Jesus was “too woke” for our troubled times, apparently. They still call themselves Christian, just meaner and in a roid rage, I guess.
What feeds this nonsense? Bias.
There are many types of cognitive bias that affect us. There is hindsight bias, loss aversion bias, the gambler’s fallacy, and the beastly Dunning-Kruger effect. The D-K effect plus confirmation bias is a lethal combination, dangerous to civilization.Those are the better-known afflictions. I have a couple of favorites that may not be on your radar:
Survivor Bias
Survivor bias goes like this: “We live in a land of opportunity! I make a lot of money, so why can’t everybody else?”
This bias plays into the myth of the self-made individual. It ignores a plethora of historical, systemic, and personal variables. This bias turns the principle of fair financial compensation into a cruel game of keep-away. When interviewed, successful people often extol the virtue of hard work. Only a few self-aware ones say, “I worked hard, but I got incredibly lucky! I made it, but I’m not altogether sure how, but I know I’m an outlier.” It’s much more tempting to believe “I built X and now own a couple of yachts because I’m a genius.”
Lots of people work hard and are never adequately compensated. If success were so easily replicable, more people would attain it. For instance, if you’re a nepobaby who won the genetic lottery, the path to stardom is paved with pillows. Nobody who catches those breaks talks about that. When asked the secret to their success, I’ve heard actors say, “I know my lines and I show up on time.” Learning a script can be difficult, but showing up on time? You mean like every other employee on the planet? That’s blind privilege talking, you handsome dunce. That’s survivor bias.
Survivor bias doesn’t come up first as one of the more lethal societal ills, but it is dangerous. It feeds a delusion that’s used as a cudgel on the oppressed and unfortunate. If the poor deserve to be poor, you only care if you’re poor. Not much room for kindness and mercy there, huh? Survivor bias makes its believer a terrible person and everyone else worse off.
Normalcy Bias
An author friend messaged me to ask, since I write apocalyptic novels, does our current political situation feel like I’m living in one of my books? I’ve written about the many ways empires fall. My back catalog includes zombies, vampires, AI domination, killer robots, alien invasion, meteors, climate crises, disease, nuclear conflagration, mass poverty, and famine. Lots of fun to explore in fiction, right? What’s unfolding now, though? I couldn’t write it because so much of it sounds outlandish, too dumb, and replete with hissy fits. Nuclear stockpile inspectors and warhead assembly experts getting fired en masse sounds too silly, doesn’t it?That happened. Then somebody said, “Oopsy! Get them back! Where are their email addresses? What do you mean you deleted their email addresses?”
The doomsday clock is now 89 seconds to midnight. The world is teetering toward all your worst nightmares. Still, we carry on, believing that cooler heads will prevail. That, my friends, is normalcy bias.
The courts decided they couldn’t allow a presidential candidate to go to jail for even one day for his crimes. He should have been confined for contempt and endangering officers of the court, at the very least. Didn’t happen. Couldn’t happen. That was normalcy bias at its dark and dirty work. You’ve always been told no one is above the law. Obviously not so.
The objection always comes to changing circumstances: “X can’t happen because it’s never happened before. It would be unprecedented!”
This is a recurring theme in my fiction (and my answer to this complaint):
Everything is unprecedented until it’s not.
Normalcy bias keeps you dangerously comfortable. It assures you that the health insurance you have relied on will always be there for you. Why? Because it always has been. To lose it would be unprecedented! (See above.)
Normalcy bias kept endangered people from fleeing Germany before World War II broke out. Normalcy bias assures people that all their investments are safe until the stock market collapses. Normalcy bias made Canadians, Mexicans, and all NATO allies feel that the United States government would be their friend. The news reveals the truth: People have friends. Governments have interests.
Human behavior, mental illness, and neurobiology are interests I try to monetize by writing novels with flawed characters. Sometimes, they suffer mental health issues like mine (anxiety, for one instance). Other times, they use their knowledge to manipulate others. It’s fun in fiction. When cognitive biases dominate our media intake and the political sphere, ignorant people transform into monsters and innocent people suffer and die. Our biases make us more vulnerable to personal and systemic failure. Ignorance can be cured easily, but stupid is much more complicated.
Biases kill.
(On the other hand, when I meet with literary agents in April, I’ll pull from my bag of tricks in the pitch meetings to sell my next book, but that’s another post. Villainous laughter: Mwah-ha-ha-ha!) In the meantime, have you read All Empires Fall yet?
