Connections Clark

Nine One Once Upon A Time...

2015-08-18T21:17:00.002-07:00

The other day I was driving East on the 10 freeway here in Los Angeles when I noticed some commotion up ahead. Cars were changing lanes rapidly and suddenly, thirty, forty, fifty of them. I moved to the farthest left lane to stay out of the melee. As I approached the area, a white car was completely stopped in the middle lane, her hazards blinking. A woman was in the driver's seat, just sitting there; her hood was dramatically dented and it was obvious she'd just been in an accident.

It was alarming seeing her there in the middle of the freeway, not even trying to pull over or get off at the nearest exit. As I drove past, I thought surely someone had called 911 already. I kept driving, and a few seconds later I thought. Wait, what if everyone assumes that someone else is calling?

I dialed my cell.
The operator picked up.
"911. What is your emergency?"

I started with, "I'm sure you've received a hundred calls about this, but..." and explained the situation. She asked for details I hadn't noticed, the make of the car, the license plate, the severity of the accident. And then I could hear typing in the background.

"Ma'am," she said. "You're our first call about this. We're sending police now."

The first call? Wow. Hundreds of cars had whizzed past her, and I'm sure hundreds more were about to. What if every single person thought someone else was surely going to call 911?

This was such a lesson on actively engaging instead of passively assuming. Hopefully the woman is okay.

I have been blogging over at my website: MelissaClarkWrites.com

I'm not sure how much longer I'll be contributing to this Connections Clark blog, there are just so many things to keep up with. Thank you for following me here for all these years. This blog started as a way to chronicle my involvement in the Obama campaign so many years ago. It's hard to believe that his Presidency is nearing its end.

Please find and follow me at my new(ish) website, and of course on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

xo
mc

Back to Blog/Back to Boston

2015-03-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

Seems I have been cheating on this blog with my MelissaClarkWrites website. But now that it's up and running, the affair is over and I'm back to this blog.

Emerson Building on Boylston

I had a soulful and active trip to Boston last week. It helps that my friend is a professor at my Alma Mater, Emerson College. She was able to negotiate a speaking engagement for me -- on writing and creativity. It was really fun preparing it, and even more fun delivering it. The current Emerson students are still very creative and ambitious. I loved meeting with various kids to talk about life after Emerson. I was interviewed by a bunch of them, and then filmed for a documentary. I believe when I was there the school was about 2,500 people, but it has now swelled to over 6,000. To add to the fun, thanks to Fbook, I connected with a bunch of friends from my past who were able to come to the talk as well. I can't express the joy I felt at seeing everyone - Andrea, from elementary school (she claims I marched right up to her on the first day of school, introduced myself and invited her over to play. Was I that bold as a child? I remember myself as a super shy kid - like, painfully so), Julie from my first college, Liz, from college, and Margaret from graduate school. And of course, Miranda, who hosted me and organized the whole event.

Had a blast later in the week, visiting the studios of WGBH and meeting Marco Werman, host of The World (Produced by friend Andrea Crossan), eating a great meal with Miranda at Alden & Harlow, discovering a fantastic art show at a gallery at Harvard, breakfasting with old friend Leslie-Anne Copes, seeing Howard Jones in concert in Natick, MA in a hotel lobby, and marveling at the fluffy, white snowflakes as they fell from the sky.

It meant the world to visit The World

Lovely ladies of Boston

Boston will always have my heart.

Practice Makes...Practice

2015-03-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

I learned a new word in yoga over the weekend: Santosha. Maybe I'd heard it before, but I never connected with it the way I did the other night. Santosha is Sanskrit for contentment. I have been experiencing santosha on a deep level lately. Perhaps it is knowing that practice doesn't make perfect - that 'perfect' is an illusion - practice breeds practice - in all disciplines - for me, in yoga, and writing, and keeping gratitude lists, and valued time spent in therapy. These practices have slowly, but certainly, lead me to a place of santosha. It is a place "between effort and ease", as the yogi's say - a sweet spot. Not joy, not elation, certainly not sadness or depression. Whatever it is, however one explains it, I am there - breathing in, breathing out, in the moment, and open to all possibilities.

A Little Zumba, A Little Writing...

2014-12-29T17:25:00.000-08:00

I had such a great time speaking at The Oaks Spa over the weekend. My memories of The Oaks date back to when I was 16 or so and my mom took me for a weekend getaway. I've written about it before. After the first lunch I escaped the premises and ran across to grab a burrito - i.e. normal food. Now, I treasure the meals there - all super duper healthy and measured out calorically. (is that a word?) They are not drool-inducing, but they are very, very good.

I gave a talk, and conducted three writing exercises, my favorites from the various courses I teach. They yielded excellent writing samples, and unlike the college students, the spa students were anxious to read out loud.

Speaking at the spa (there really were people there, I swear)

My mom and our new friend, Frances

When I wasn't speaking, I was dancing, yogaing, hula-hooping, zumba-ing, stretching and sleeping. Happily, I'll be back at the end of March, doing it all over again.

Follow the Paper

2014-12-21T13:56:00.001-08:00

Once, many, many moons ago, I had a seasonal job at The Christmas Store, which used to be in the Century City mall. Today we would call it a "pop-up shop", but back then it was merely a "seasonal store." I think I was only in 9th grade when my friend Jen and I both applied for and got the job. Because I had neat handwriting, they put me on engraving duty, that is to say I personally engraved names onto ornaments with some super slim power tool. Is that even legal? The tool shook in my hand as I practiced my cursive on scraps of recycled metal. When a customer approached with his or her bauble, I'd plug in the tool and scratch out whatever name they requested, usually, but not always, to satisfied customers. In my down time, I was put on "wrapping duty", which was much less exotic and required me to wrap gifts. Boy did I suck. I always underestimated the amount of paper, and often found myself taping paper to the box and covering up my botched job with extra paper, and then a bow on top to try and hide the screw-up. Once, upon watching me struggle, a co-worker or a boss, or maybe even Jen, said to me, "Sometimes you just need to follow the paper. It'll always tell you where to go." How zen! How reasonable! When the paper folded a certain way, I let it, instead of fighting to make it conform to my wishes. "Follow the paper" became my mantra in the store, and still is now when I find myself wrapping gifts for friends, parents, nephews, Hanukkah, Christmas, parties and the like. "Follow the paper" - isn't it a nice metaphor?

Skool

2014-11-14T16:25:00.001-08:00

I am having a wonderful semester at the college where I teach, with engaged and talented students. I taught a section in my Memoir class about the graphic novel. We read Persepolis and then I had them draw, in graphic novel form, a scene from one of their essays. Below: students hard at work, and a few of the end results. So impressive!

In my other course, photographer Amy Tierney joined us last week as a guest speaker and told us what it was really like choosing to live a creative life. She's so creative that she insisted we take a class picture.

Look at those cool kids!

A Place Called Home

2014-11-08T10:21:00.003-08:00

I am so happy. I have finally consolidated all my websites into one brand spankin' new one. You are just a few clicks away from seeing my new novel's book cover, reading about some upcoming writing workshops, and the like.

CLICK HERE

Thanks!

Oh, Hi, Ojai!

2014-10-06T12:09:00.001-07:00

Last week I was feeling nudgy, stuck, overwhelmed and uninspired. I had so much to do, write two lectures, finish reading a book, write two midterms, edit my novel, submit my play, deal with my new website, and I couldn't find the energy to do any of it from home. I have my usual writing spots - The Writers Guild Library, various coffee shops, hotels and the like, but I knew I needed, really needed, a getaway.

That's when I decided I wanted to go to Ojai.

Ojai. Sigh.

Lovely Ojai: only an hour and a half from L.A. and yet it feels like you are on vacation far, far away.

I found a wonderful coffee shop on Yelp, got a cheap but funky hotel on a website, and crossed almost everything off my 'to do' list. I loved every second of it.

Colorful coffee house, great coffee, too.

I got a lot done, I swear.

C'mon. How can you not love a hotel that provides a record player AND a Crystal Gayle record?

Took a long, long walk around the neighborhood - even found and returned a lost dog. Wish I'd taken a picture, but it all happened so fast...you'll just have to believe me.

Mailboxes of Ojai.

Maybe my fav used bookstore in the world - Bart's Books - located in a home and outside of the home. Just spectacular. I browsed for an hour before hitting a new coffeeshop to finish the final projects...

New coffeeshop. It was over 100 degrees that day, so I chose to sit inside with the air conditioning. I drank lots of iced coffee and tea drinks before finishing stuff and heading back to L.A.

Do you ever take staycations?

Upon Closer Inspection

2014-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

When you cross the bridge over the lagoon in my neighborhood, you reach an area that, at first glance, can best be described as rich tract housing. But like with most things, upon closer inspection it is full of wonderful details.

Crossing the bridge

The neighborhood is designed on a grid, and most homes face public parks

Sure, some houses are tacky, but others are funky and classy:

Tacky or funky? You decide...

There are fun little details all over the neighborhood:

You just have to open your eyes.

The Curve

2014-09-03T12:09:00.001-07:00

I find that I am often behind the curve, especially in my pop culture consumption. I caught The Sopranos years after it first aired (loved it) and still haven't seen a single episode of Orange is the New Black. I have just discovered Louis C.K. and have been binge watching these dark, brilliant, thoughtful, funny episodes at an alarming rate. Everyone was talking about him years ago, and now I finally get it.

My friend John, from college, was ahead of the curve. In 1986 he was obsessed and consumed with the Brady Bunch. He even wrote a book proposal and submitted it to a prestigious publishing company. It was rejected. Flash forward 5 years and the Brady Bunch was everywhere - books, theater shows, movies. John's only flaw was that he was ahead of the curve.

My book "Bear Witness" is finally coming out in March. This labor of love was essentially finished a few years ago but it has taken this long to find a publisher. My impatience with this project has been palpable, but now I am wondering if things are unfolding just as they should be. In the past few weeks I've learned of two other "true crime" or rather, "inspired by true crime" projects that are slated for release in the coming months: Miss Meadows, a film starring Katie Holmes and initially inspired by the Polly Klaas case, as is my book, and The Face of an Angel, starring Kate Beckinsale and inspired by the Amanda Knox case. Perhaps some things aren't ahead of or behind the curve, but simply riding the curve? I suppose only time will tell.

Someone Loves my New Rug

2014-08-22T08:41:00.001-07:00

Summer in the City

2014-07-30T15:03:00.000-07:00

This ice cream represents my summer eating habits. I made the mistake of buying a tub of Trader Joe's Coffee Bean Blast ice cream, along with a package of cones and have been rewarding myself with ice cream treats on a regular basis.

Rewarding myself for what?

Well, um...

Hard yoga classes?
Books read?
Signing the contract for my forthcoming novel?

Actually, I am just reveling in the wonder that is summer.

But speaking of books read:

I'm poring through them right now because I know once school starts my extracurricular reading will come to a halt.

My sister bought me this one last year and I'm excited to start it once I finish...

...this one, from a fellow UC Davis grad and someone I coincidentally sat across from at a writing event.

Have also enjoyed the following movies and plays:

Beauty by the Bay

2014-07-10T12:46:00.002-07:00

Well, that was fun.

Had a great trip to the Bay Area, visiting Lafayette, Berkeley, SF, Petaluma, Redwood City and Menlo Park. San Francisco was showing off with clear skies and perfect weather. I walked around like a tourist, taking pictures from every hill. Well, actually I WAS a tourist. It's been 20 years since I've lived there. SO HARD TO BELIEVE. I am in denial about the passing of time. An example of this is: when crossing the Bay Bridge, I picked through my purse for a dollar to pay the toll, completely forgetting that it was a dollar 20 years ago. It is 5 dollars now. Ooops.

It was great to see so many old friends, and new ones, too.

Twenty years ago I lived in this apartment (pic to the right) ------->
My unit was toward the back of the building, so I didn't have the Bay Windows, and also the building was grey and maroon when I lived there...

City Light Bookstore. It was so much fun browsing (and buying) in an actual bookstore. I'm so used to clicking on Amazon to purchase books, and even more frequently clicking on my Kindle to download books. Visiting City Lights and Green Apple, as well as some others, made me realize how much I miss the real bookstore community - the smell of books, the helpful advice of people... Above, my friend Amelyn poses for my pic by reading a book upside down. Book humor.

Beautiful Coit Tower.

Surprise visit with an old friend (Daniela) who happens to live in Redwood City...

Lisa's puppy: "GG". OMGG, I love this doggie. Such a cuddler. Those ears, that personality.

Happy in the Bay Area.

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

2014-06-23T14:17:00.002-07:00

For the past month I've been battling some sort of infection - worse than a cold but not as bad as a flu. It started with a few harmless sneezes and then morphed into an incessant, noisy cough followed by a 5-day sore throat, so bad it felt like I was swallowing glass. But yesterday - ahhh - yesterday - I awoke sans throat thing, after a round of antibiotics - the miracle of modern medicine. Today I even did an errand. I am so grateful for my general - and now restored - good health. Being sick feels absolutely crummy. I'm sure I picked this up on the plane flight home from Mexico. I even remember glaring at the lady who sneezed in my face without covering her mouth. Enough about her - and enough about ill health...

Next trip on the docket is to the Bay Area. This will be an eclectic trip and will include a dear friend's daughter's bat mitzvah, a visit to Petaluma and the Polly Klaas Foundation, a trip to SF to see friends and finally a jaunt down to Redwood City to visit another friend. I am looking forward to road tripping up there with my friend Erika. With our opposite lives on opposite coasts, the 5 1/2 hour drive will be a good, solid chunk of time to reunite.

Sick n' Such...

2014-06-09T10:01:00.003-07:00

Summer is here, along with an incessant summer cold. It was all fun and games (and movies) while I was feeling down and out, but now that I'm hacking up a lung, it is off to the doctor's...

Being sick isn't so bad when you're an Amazon Prime member. I've watched a ton of movies and even made progress on The Goldfinch, which I've been reading for quite a while now.

I've always been a fan of the actress/director Sarah Polley, and enjoyed watching two of her films pictured here. I think about her works long after they've ended and just find her whole aesthetic very interesting, and very Canadian.

Then there was this documentary... My friend John was obsessed with this news story about the woman who went the wrong way on a freeway in upstate NY killing herself, her daughter, 3 nieces and three other men in an oncoming car. It was a totally tragic story that resulted in the fact that she'd been drinking heavily and smoking pot. The movie doesn't give answers, but probes deeply into the state of denial of her family members. A disturbing but powerful film

In a moment of feeling well, I also snuck out with friends to a screening of Maleficent. It was so over-the-top in so many ways: acting, music, story, etc. Now if Sarah Polley had directed it, THAT would have been interesting. All through the movie I kept thinking that we're going to be seeing a lot of Maleficent horns come Halloween.

Home

2014-05-30T09:47:00.003-07:00

I am home after a lovely vacation in Mexico.

Poor Mexico-- it gets such bad press. When I said I was heading there I can't tell you how many people grimaced and warned me to be careful. I travel a lot, and am careful everywhere I go. If you are fearful of Mexico because of all the negative press, don't be. It is a beautiful, culturally rich place to visit. Just try to stay away from the drug lords.

Catrina posing with spectators.

Church framed by trees.

Shoveling delicious coffee ice cream into my mouth. I ate a lot of street food and it's kind of a miracle I didn't get sick.

Church at night. Cross lit up.

Handcrafted jewelry.

Natural mineral baths at Escondito Hot Springs.

Lily pads and lily at hot springs.

Jen gets our stuff out of colorful lockers at hot springs.

On the bus ride from Queretero to the Airport in Mexico City, I read that Maya Angelou died. I was so shocked and saddened by the news. I teach Caged Bird every semester in my class and, as all teachers must feel, felt a special connection to this book and author, especially because the students respond so well to the story. I'm so grateful that I got to hear her speak at UCLA's Royce Hall three years ago. I blogged about that experience HERE. Rest in Peace, Dr. Angelou. Such a larger-than-life figure. She will be missed but her words will live on.

Mas Mexico

2014-05-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

A quickie before I head out...yesterday we went to the Jardin Botanica, a cactus garden near Jen's house. It wasn't in full bloom, but it was pretty close. Attaching some pictures so you can get the gist, whoever you are!

Look closely...monarch butterfly in flower.

Garambullo ice cream at the end of the hike - it's purple, and tasty!

Later that night, there was a torrential rain/lightening/thunder storm. I don't think I've seen anything like it ever in my life. It was so dramatic and scary. We ended up at a really fun bar, after driving through the wet, narrow, cobblestone streets in town, where we hung out with a group celebrating a birthday... More Americans who had moved here and met and married... who knew it was such a "thing"?!? Super fun night. Ginger margaritas.

More Mexico

2014-05-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm finally able to post pictures of my trip:

Rivera murals at Presidential Palace took my breath away.

In 1999 I participated in a residency at the Vermont Studio Center where I met wonderful people including the fellow on the right, Mauricio Alejo. Thanks to the power of social media, we were able to reconnect online, and then in person. It was a pleasure meeting his wife and new baby Bruno. Mauricio is a photographer for The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine, as well as countless other credits. You can see more of his work here...

Casa Azul is where Frida Kahlo was born and died. Among other things, her death bed and ashes are on display here. It was so thrilling walking around the property, seeing all the art work, and reading all the stories about her colorful, adventurous and tragic life.

Temple Mayor - pyramid being uncovered in the middle of the city. Hard to describe, but amazing to experience.

I am now in San Miguel De Allende, where my friend Jen moved almost three years ago. She was here on vacation a few years ago with her mom when she met the man she is now married to. What an adventurous girl my Jen is! Her husband Joaquin is an artist and his mentor is the artist Jordi Boldo. Are you following? Last night we travelled to the town of Quetero, about an hour away, to attend Jordi's opening at a museum.

Jen ponders art.

And finally, some pix of just a few of the animals around here...

Mr. Bunny. Joaquin rescued him when he overheard someone at a market saying he'd make for a good soup.

There is a real Grey Gardens home across the street from where Jen lives. These are three of the 20ish cats that live there. Ewww, but ohhhh...

Below are neighbor dogs. So cute!

Oh, Mexico

2014-05-21T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick entry, sans pictures. I am having an incredible time here in Mexico City. I have never been to a more exciting city with so much history, culture, great food, kindness, heat and dryness. Okay, the heat and dryness are nothing to write home about, but everything else is.

Yesterday's trip to the Presidential Palace almost brought tears to my eyes, standing in front of the iconic Diego Rivera murals. They are so thrilling, grandiose and bold. Truly, they made my heart quicken.

We also went to an incredible museum nearby... Mexican artists are allowed to pay their taxes with their art. How cool is that? There is a contemporary museum housing these artworks for all to see.

Temple Mayor, in the middle of the city, is a pyramid that was discovered in the late 70's when the electric company was fixing a lightbulb. Upon further investigation, and now 40+ years later, the city is in the middle of an endless excavation exercise, pulling artifacts from centuries ago. In fact, many of the buildings downtown are built over pyramids. I will post pictures once I get to San Miguel De Allende.

I have thoroughly enjoyed wandering this city, stepping in to the many museums (a thrilling architecture one the other day), eating delicious food, drinking Mezcal and simply observing a new culture.

We have decided to stay one more night here - not in the original plan. I will be having breakfast with a very old friend Mauricio Alejo, whom I met at an artists residency in Vermont a lifetime ago. Mauricio has become a well-known photographer and I am so excited to catch up with him. Later, my friend Jen and I will head to Casa Azul, Frida Kahlo's home in Couyacan. In preparation for our visit we watched the movie Frida last night. Oy, what a terrible film. It may as well have been called "As the World Turns" - no exploration of anything interesting, including the pain that she lived in from her street car accident, or her eccentricities... like... say...where did she get the monkeys?

Adios for now.

New Blog

2014-05-09T11:53:00.002-07:00

Unlike most people, I love hearing other people's dreams. It's such a window into their subconscious. (For the record, I also like seeing people's photos and listening to what they bought at Trader Joe's... baby stories? Not so much...)

I have a very vivid, relentless dream life and so I've started a blog to recount my dreams. I'm 99.9% positive that this won't be of interest to anybody, and I am keeping it more as a personal dream journal, but for some reason I already have close to 100 page views, and so I thought I'd share the address.

http://dreamher1.blogspot.com/

Happy dreaming.

xo
mc

Giving it Away For Free

2014-04-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of launching my third novel, I have been thinking a lot about marketing. I find myself very attuned to businesses lately, and how they conduct advertising. For example, yesterday when buying lollipops for my nephews, I realized that Sees Candy 'gives it away for free' to every single customer who enters their store. (The double-fudge number that they practically insisted I ingest went down oh so smooth) I noticed this at my yoga studio, too, where they *practically* 'give it away for free' to new students, offering uber cheap prices for a month, helping the student determine if he wants to join. Farmers markets all over the world (at least in the parts of the world I've been) offer free samples of their produce, and even my car wash place gives you a freebie (when you purchase 9).

Last month I gave away the ebook version of my novel "Imperfect" for free - a service Amazon offers to authors. I was shocked and delighted that it was downloaded over 5,000 times - in one day! My first novel sold that amount in over two years. The day after the free promotion, my book sold over 50 times, and I garnered a handful of new reviews on various sites.

It's hard for me to reconcile 'giving it away for free'. I can't help but do the "what if..." math. What if those 5,000 people each paid a dollar per book? But the thing I'm learning, the thing I'm seeing everywhere, is that it is simply part of the gig, part of building a brand, part of making the connections that you know you were put on this earth to make.

Unusually Wonderful Pairings

2014-03-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

1. Hard boiled eggs and a grater:

Lately, I've taken to shredding my hard boiled eggs. They make for a delicious topping over salads, toast and anything else that can use a crumbly, protein topping.

2. Gold glitter nail polish and my hand:

I've been channeling my inner 5-year old princess girlie side lately. Beyond being insanely into wearing pink, I've warmed to glittery, shimmery totally gaudy manicures.

3. Paul Simon and Sting:

What? WHAT? When I heard these two were touring together I hopped on tickets. Truly one of the best concerts I've been to. It was so good that it was almost too much goodness to bear, especially when these two duetted.

4. Emerson College and modern architecture:

One of the things I loved most about attending Emerson College was attending classes in beautiful, old Back Bay buildings. Emerson's L.A. campus recently moved in to this startlingly, stunning contemporary building.

5. And tonight, I'll be seeing trumpeter Hugh Masekela at Disney Hall. Another wonderfully unusual pairing.

Tears (of a Clown)

2014-02-13T08:54:00.001-08:00

The Winter Olympics are in full swing, which means it's weepy season around here. I'm always reduced to tears during the Olympics, mostly tears of joy. I love watching people accomplish their goals and being the best they can be.

I was on the phone with my mom the other night as an ice skating event was airing. She screamed every time someone fumbled or fell, and even though I made fun of her, last night I did the same thing: I screamed so loud when the German couple fell that my cat bolted out of the room.

But mostly I'm wiping away happy tears.

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the documentary 20 Feet From Stardom at the college where I teach. Afterwards, Claudia Lennear, one of the backup singers that was featured (The Stones "Brown Sugar" was written for her!) came and spoke, sharing stories and memories. God love the student who asked her to sing...

I was weepy during the movie, too. So much talent, so many amazing voices, so much heartbreak.

Hmm, maybe I just have PMS?

FREE Today

2014-01-24T10:51:00.005-08:00

"Imperfect" is free on Kindle today. Grab your copy now by clicking the link below!

IMPERFECT

Zzzzzzzzzzz's (Or Lack of Them)

2014-01-12T17:35:00.002-08:00

Lately, I have been feeling totally out of whack.

I can't remember the last time I had a good night's sleep. These past few nights have been like a bad dream, a dream without even sleeping. I fall asleep with ease but the next thing I know I'm awake, even manic, and unable to coax myself back to sleep. I took half a sleeping pill the other night, hoping to get back on track, but it didn't work. The next night I took a whole one and it didn't work, either. Last night, pill-free AND with a migraine, I didn't sleep, either. Surprise, surprise.

In speaking with a friend this morning I told her of my Zzzz's woes.

"Are you stressed about anything?" she asked.
"No," I said. "Only that school is starting next week and I'm about 24 hours away from finishing my novel that I've been working on for almost five years."

Oh yeah...

THAT.

I know this manic phase is connected to the completion of this novel - one that has been with me for over 15 years, when I first pitched it as a television show to a certain company. At the time, we just couldn't break the story, but 15 years later and now a novel, I have found it, bonded with the characters, created twists and turns that hurt my brain to figure out, and have struggled through every, single word.

But now...

Now I'm in that phase that I think all writers strive for - what I call the Sliding-Down-the-Hill phase. The novel is its own beast now with legs and arms and a body and heart, and together we are sprinting toward the finish line. It is thrilling, and it is exhausting.

And perhaps once I type those final words and send it out into the world...maybe then the keepers of sleep will pay me a visit, will sprinkle me with their magic dust. Until then, I will toss and turn and stare at my ceiling, pester my cat, chew my nails, fluff my pillows and wonder what the hell I was thinking taking on this novel idea, this wordy commitment of the imagination.

PS - Happy New Year.

PPS - How do you combat insomnia?