“I can’t believe Charlie’s dead,” she wailed. Joe put the phone down next to the refrigerator. The sobs continued over the speaker as he...

Benny swallowed the end of his drink and looked at his last chip, a dollar. It was all set up to favor the house. Benny knew that. He’d known it from the first time he went to a casino, but still, he couldn’t stop until his pocket was empty. There was a slot machine near the exit just waiting for this chip.

Carolyn lumbered through the airport, a backpack slung over her left shoulder, her right arm stretched by the weight of her carry-on. Big...

I put The Incident up over the summer because I was going to be on the road while my home was for sale. 8400 miles later, I’m home again,...

When I get back to the campfire, Mom’s just poured water on the coals and ash. Hot ash flying into dry needles can start a forest fires...

It was a Friday afternoon, last class of the day, last full week of school. There was a substitute. She was new and would probably never...

I had to go back to court at the end of the school year. The teachers at the court school all gave me good letters and the judge asked if...

In the hall, we all had to wear one-piece jumpsuits. Most of us wore orange. Blue meant you had extra responsibilities and privileges....

It was an electronics store. We should have known they’d have cameras, even if we didn’t see them. There wasn’t any audio. It looked like...

When Mom caught me walking home alone one day, I assured her it was fine, that Angelica and Natalie had to stay after for talking in one...

It’s not really an excuse, but aside from art, my classes bored me stiff, even Spanish. The teacher had such a horrible accent, I could...

School starts mid-August, while it’s still hot and humid. Rose has a friend to walk with, the kid she met rollerblading, but Mom insists...

By the time we’re done with ice cream and goodbyes, it’s almost two o’clock. Rose and I wave at our friends until we can’t see them...

“It’s amazing how much junk there is in this house,” says Mom. I’m the one helping her sort through stuff in the attic, so she’s not...

Mary and I try to pretend we’re too old to be impressed by Disneyland, but it’s really amazing. The rides go on so much longer than...

Chapter 2—Dinner At least the secret seems to be something that makes both of my parents happy, so they can’t be telling us they’re...

A mountain lion could be out here, ready to pounce. They say you never know what hit you. But I’ve been out here plenty of starry nights...

I’m prepping to move – something I’ve done every few years for most of my kids’ lives. They’re all in their thirties now, so that’s a lot...

In the literary context, Merriam Webster defines heroine as “the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work” and they give...

It’s possible I’ll be asked to do a few more tweaks, but the screenplay I contracted to complete has gone through two major revisions and...

There’s a long tradition in literature of having a tomboy juxtaposed with a feminine girl. In the late 1800’s there was a series for...

Someone recently asked me what three or four films defined my life – took it new directions, made a lasting impact, that sort of thing....

Before computers, the difficult part of research was finding materials. As a kid, I had to ride a bus a half hour downtown to the big...

Last week I talked about the importance of celebrating others’ successes. It’s part of building a supportive community of writers. That...