"Writing is a kind of revenge against circumstance."
—Louise Glück
About
SAVAGE GOOD GIRL
"A must-read. A gripping story you'll never forget."
—Jessica Goudeau, winner of the Lukas Book Prize
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"A masterpiece. The writing is astonishing."
—Geralyn Lucas, author of Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy and Then Came Life​​​
When advised to trigger my elderly mother into a breakdown in order to have her committed via a 911 call, I lunged at the prospect, hungrier to savage her than to save her. It was an appalling moment for this seemingly classic Good Girl: Was I, like my mother, a monster in disguise? Savage Good Girl is a story of discovery as I trace the roads to and from that moment. It is also a story of hope: despite all that had come before—my mother’s gross derelictions, my rage—I found within myself a molten core of love and compassion for the parent I once loathed. Woven through the narrative is the tale of the successful, lovable father who, almost unnoticed, let the entire family down through his own shortcomings, and needed rescue too.
About my
WRITING
My creative focus is on personal narrative. From the humorous (like the epic fallout from a splinter in my foot) to the decidedly unfunny (like growing up with a checked-out mother), I investigate aspects of my life — episodes, relationships, behaviors, choices — finding meaning and clarity in each. More than I would have thought possible, these explorations yield insights that color me appreciative of the stuff I once wished out of existence. Beyond benefitting personally from this work, I hope to give others the kind of resonant reading experiences that can enrich their lives as well. Not that I believe writing cures all. Nothing cures all, which is something else I write about, the idea of "healing" as learning to live well without being fully healed.