About Me

I've been asked to write something about myself. Oddly, I'm not sure I want to do this in any kind of disciplined way. And I'm also uncertain about whether, as advertising, this will be "accurate." I write on many subjects, and what you see here may not be what you get in the posts.

But here it is: the post that will serve as (or at least be the acorn for) the future bio page.

I'm a 42-year old white woman (mostly Anglo-Saxon, probably slightly Slavic, with a little Creek Indian thrown in and God knows what else). Ancestors on the Mayflower, Methodist family roots. I'm very short, and I'm told I look 5-10 years younger than I really am. This has been difficult in the work world, but I suspect it will become more and more gratifying over the next decade or two. (Photos of me exist online; you can look for them if you like.)

My husband and I can't produce children biologically, but want a family. We're in the process of adopting. I want twins, reasoning that that would be a "ready-made family," but the odds are against me.

We live in the hills east of Los Angeles, near Pasadena.

I'm interested in guns, architecture, crime fiction, movies, art, and music. But with respect to music, I'm a pig. I like 70s rock, with a good beat and lots of bass. Some of what I like is good, but that's an accident: quality is not a prerequisite. In many areas I can be refined in my tastes. Music isn't one of them.

I like to cook, but rarely make the time. I like to grow plants, but have no talent for it at all.

I support the war in Iraq, and the War on Terrorism in general. (What do you mean you can't wage war on a noun? Japan is a noun. The Axis is a noun. Fascism is a noun. Go home.)

I'm pro-gay rights, and in favor of legalizing marijuana. I think the War on Drugs is an abomination, and has thrashed the Bill of Rights more thoroughly than anything John Ashcroft ever did.

I'm a big fan of the Bill of Rights in general. Fond, in particular, of the First, Second, and Fourth Amendments.

I work in publishing; I've been involved with magazines for over 20 years. My husband works in television. We're both writers; he's a successful one.

Mostly, I'm a blogger. Blogging is an addiction for me—a necessary outlet. Fiction projects come and go, but blogging is something I expect to do for the rest of my life. Not because there's any virtue in it, but because I've caught the disease.

I tend to forget that a handful of people from my "real," flesh-and-blood life read these pages, and concentrate instead on writing for those whom I haven't met—or, in the case of the Bear Flag Leaguers, those I met only through blogging. Mostly, I write for the people who leave comments and send me e-mail.

If you're a regular here, I'm writing for you.