Archive for March 2012
I will marry you: 3 things to look for when hiring a wedding officiant
From a New York Times piece entitled The Officiant Among Us: FOR generations, getting married meant solemnly standing before an authority figure charged with upholding the rules of civil society or religious traditions. But when Amity Kitchen wed Matthew Saucedo in January, a gregarious family friend, Chris Coughlin, officiated. Mr. Coughlin’s credentials for performing the…
Read MoreThe Pteranodon song
My daughter loves dinosaurs and she loves music, so a combination of the two was inevitable, albeit slightly bizarre. And very cute.
Read MoreGratitude journal: Surprise
Tonight I am grateful for the potential for surprise that fills my life as an author. Today my agent informed me that we had received an offer from a French publisher for Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. Just like that, my book will be translated into another foreign language and sold in another country. I…
Read MoreMemoirs of an Imaginary Friend: An audio preview
The first two chapters of the audio version of Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend are available for preview here. The book is narrated by Matthew Brown, which seems apropos considering my UK pseudonym is Matthew Green. I was initially worried that I would not like the narrator, especially given that the story is told in…
Read MoreGratitude journal: A stolen kiss
Tonight I am grateful for a stolen kiss, which wasn’t really stolen considering it was requested that I steal it. After putting Clara in her crib, I asked for a kiss goodnight and she refused, which she does quite often. Instead, she typically latches onto Elysha and cuddles with her while Elysha sings her a…
Read MoreI think I have finally found the perfect catchphrase to use when signing a reader’s book.
Since publishing my first two novels in 2009 and 2010, I have been searching for the perfect catchphrase to use while signing a reader’s book. I wanted something short, clever, memorable and apropos to me that I could use in addition to my signature, but I had yet to find the right sentiment. I have…
Read MoreGratitude journal: The ticking of the clock
I find myself struggling to find gratitude this evening. I left the house at 6:30 this morning and returned at 8:00 this evening, thanks to a day of teaching followed by a series of parent-teacher conferences. As a result, I spent about 90 seconds with my daughter today, who was already in her crib and…
Read MoreThe Golden Rule: Complete and total nonsense
I recently made the assertion that the Golden Rule, the Biblical admonition to do onto others as you would have done onto you, is an ineffective and nonsensical means by which a person should live his or her life. I was in a conversation with a group of educational leaders at the time, and I…
Read MoreGratitude journal: Daddy
Tonight I am grateful to be called Daddy. My daughter is three years old, so Daddy is probably safe for a while, but I know that Daddy will eventually evolve into Dad. And while Dad is just fine, there is nothing like walking in the door after a twelve hour day of teaching and parent-teacher…
Read MoreShe has this new baby thing all figured out.
A conversation between me and my three year old daughter: Me: What’s in Mommy’s tummy? Clara: A baby! A cute little baby! Me: And when the baby is born, what will you be? Clara: A big sister! Me: That’s right. Will you help us take care of that little baby? Clara: No, Mommy will take…
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