Episode 16 of Bigfoot and the Baby is up!

As Kyle's new friend Enrique transforms his van into a work of art, Jackie transforms herself for a meeting with a charismatic billionaire.

Ep 16 is here.

All eps here.

Episode 15 of Bigfoot and the Baby is up!

This is a story-within-the-story, the short life and tragic death of Harry Ricker's son Carl, for whom CarlsMart is named. If you don't want to commit to the whole novel and just want to hear me read a short story to you, jump in here.

If you do want to listen to the whole novel in 5-10 minute episodes, they're all here.

Episodes 13-14 of Bigfoot and the Baby are up!

In Episode 14, Jackie meets a mysterious stranger who will change her life.

You can find all episodes here.

New story up in Vice-Versa

The story of a robot who goes overboard for the woman it loves.

Vice-Versa is the University of Hawai'i e-zine, featuring poetry, fiction, essays, and an assemblage. I'm thrilled to find myself in such wonderful company.

New story up at Entropy Magazine

It's called "Better Than Ever," and it's about a woman who flies (for a while).

I first started workshopping this story with my writing group in 2014. I sent it to 23 places before it found its home.

So this is also a story about not giving up.

Episodes 10-12 are up!

All episodes of Bigfoot and the Baby: an audiobook in podcasts are here.

Bigfoot and the Baby Episodes 7-9 are up!

All episodes available here.

Episodes 6 and 7 of Bigfoot and the Baby: The Podcast are up!

Links to all episodes here.

Episodes 4 and 5 of Bigfoot and the Baby: The Podcast are up!

Episode 4.
Episode 5.

All episodes are free, 7-10 minutes long. No registration required.

Episode 3 of Bigfoot and the Baby: The Podcast is up!

Listen here.

Episode 2 of Bigfoot and the Baby: The Podcast is up!

Find it here.

Bigfoot and the Baby is now a podcast!

Since Bona Fide Books went out of business late last year, I'm turning my book into a podcast. This is an effort to find a new audience for the book, and to reconnect with readers who already love it.

The first episode is here. 

Health update with glass-half-empty / glass-half-full news

After my cancer surgery, I was waiting for another shoe to drop. Maybe I felt I got off too easy, since I didn't need chemotherapy. Maybe I was still beating myself up for whatever mistake(s) I might have made that led to the cancer.

Anyway, last month, there was a shoe. I hope it is the last for a long time. I decided to have a hysterectomy, mostly to prevent other kinds of cancer I could be more vulnerable to (the Angelina Jolie plan), and also to deal with a fibroid problem. This was supposed to be very easy, laparoscopic, minimally invasive. Except. There were complications, as they say. I won't go into details here, but instead of a two-hour procedure, I was on the table for over ten hours. I was in the hospital for two days, and then came home for a much longer and more uncomfortable recovery than I was expecting.

I'm now about 2/3 through that recovery, feeling better every day. I've been working, taking walks, and pounding out a series of especially creepy short stories.

But I'm going to postpone the breast reconstruction surgery I had scheduled for June. And I have about had it with what has become my mantra: "It could have been worse."

So here's a better mantra, I think:

New flash up at Ellipsis Zine

Please enjoy my slightly creepy love letter at Ellipsis Zine.

Health update with good news

I met with my oncologist today, and the verdict is that chemo is not necessary for my breast cancer treatment. I also do not need radiation. The cancer I have is not especially aggressive, according to the genomic test results, and my lymph nodes were found to be clear during the surgery--meaning it didn't spread beyond the breast. I will be taking a drug called tamoxifen for the foreseeable future, and it has some unpleasant (and potentially dangerous but preventable) side effects, but it is certainly easier to deal with than the alternative. With tamoxifen, I'm told the likelihood of recurrence in 9 years is 5%. I don't know how they can determine this, but I'll take it.

At the moment, I don't feel as relieved or overjoyed as I thought I might--more like tired and wary about what's next. It's been a ride, which is not quite over yet. But things could certainly be a lot worse. I'm grateful for all the wonderful support and care I've received.

I need a nap and a drink, in either order.

Some health news

I've been debating whether to share this news on my blog and social media, but it seems like it's going to be part of my life for at least a little while longer, so here goes.

In early December I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Last Monday, I had a mastectomy, and was told the lymph nodes were clear, meaning the cancer hasn't spread to other organs--the official stage is 2, which is usually very good news in breast cancer world. The margins were also clear. My oncologist told me this is a "very curable" cancer. We are still considering chemo or radiation; because I am (relatively) young and healthy, we have the opportunity (let's call it an opportunity) to try some more aggressive treatments as added protection. We will learn more next week.

I feel extremely lucky to have good health insurance, good care, and very supportive friends, family, and colleagues. I am going to get through this.

I will also try to write something more enlightening about this experience, perhaps after I have some distance on it. What I can say now is the usual: Don't skip your mammograms. If you have risk factors, try to mitigate the ones you can. Reduce your stress. And don't be afraid. There's been huge progress on this front in just the last few years, and treatments can be very targeted.

Also, I'm still me. I'm still writing and working. At the moment I'm a little more tired and short-tempered, though you might not even notice a difference there, and wearing button-down shirts for the first time in decades. But otherwise I'm the same as I ever was, and will continue to be.