One could go on for pages about the similarities of birthing a book and baby: moments of delight at conception, nausea during the early stages while an idea takes hold, exciting expansion of the middle, and hours of hearing about other births or miscarriages–award winning novels and novels abandoned. Others anticipate the birth of your book, while you experience anxiety–Will it meet their expectations for your success or failure? And of course where would you be without assistance of experts and midwives–conferences, writing groups, agents, editors, cover designers, and publishers. Finally, of course, one hopes for readers who will “ooh” and “aah” at your book party and recommend your book, like admiring relatives, find something of themselves in your masterpiece!

Escape from Assisted Living 2014 was my first book, followed by the sequel One More Foxtrot 2017, and the latest book: Unexpected Guests of Blackbird Lodge 2022.