 I keep a snow globe on my desk to remind me of two things: 1) how my mind works, and 2) what I’m made of (what’s inside me). You might think that a pile of five stacked rocks is an odd protagonist for a snow globe, but it resonates with me in four meaningful ways:
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 “One must dare to be happy.” –Gertrude Stein A few weeks ago at FedEx, I spotted a book near the checkout counter: Dare to Doodle. I picked it up, flipped through the pages, and thought, This is so cool! I was about to buy it when another voice kicked in and said, You suck at drawing.  Last week I received a call from Gail Warner, a therapist friend and owner of Pine Manor Retreat Center, in Lake Elsinore, California, to tell me that she’d used the title of my new book (Where Do You Hang Your Hammock?) as a sand tray prompt during a recent group session. 
I took this photo at the Huntington Library Botanical Gardens on a walkway in the new Chinese garden. I love that each stone is unique and has its place, but is part of the whole. The stones are connected in a mysterious, intricate weave. And so are we.  Today is my official publication day (Pub Day)! If you’ve already ordered a copy, thank you! It’s on its way! E-books should appear on your e-reader. Paperbacks will arrive soon. If you haven’t yet ordered a copy, I’d be grateful if you’d do that now. You may purchase it wherever books are sold. Or, you may order one here. Book sales today are very important and set the tone for the success of the book. I appreciate your support and am proud of this book, which will inspire and inform writers and other creative people.
 This photo was taken in May 2019 (who knew how the world would change), and here I am, two years later, two weeks from my June 1st publication date for Where Do You Hang Your Hammock? Finding Peace of Mind While You Write, Publish, and Promote Your Book. That’s what’s sprawled over my desk. My messy manuscript has become a beautiful book! Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the similarities and differences between being a writer and being an author. Both are in-the-moment creative processes that involve deep listening and allowing. They both ask us to say “yes” to ourselves and to our creative dreams.
 “This could save your life,” my father told me, teaching me how to roll over onto my back in the ocean and effortlessly glide through the water using a simple frog kick with arms to match. “You can’t fight the water. You’ll exhaust yourself. The trick is to relax and let the water support you.”  “Hard times require furious dancing.” --Alice Walker
One thing I love about travel is the sensation that I’m seeing the world with new eyes. This is especially true of international travel. When I’m seeing things I’ve never seen before, the freshness of these images awakens me. When I return home, I see my own life, too, with new eyes.  I often think that the reason we have two ears and one mouth is because we’re designed to listen more than we speak. Sometimes I talk too much, and now and then I interrupt others. Mostly my interruptions stem from unbridled enthusiasm—I am eager to share, but perhaps a little too eager.  A few of my early journals.
Recently, while skimming old journals (see photo below), I came upon this line I wrote in 1986: “One day I’d like to write a book about writing.” At the time, I was a graduate student and screenwriting teaching assistant at USC’s film school. |
“Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art.” —Leonardo da Vinci