Candelit dinners…champagne and chocolate…bouquets of roses…petals strewn across a bed…sensual music playing in the background…satin and lace and scented massage oil… Sounds pretty romantic, right? Maybe in real life…but what about in fiction? Many readers would find the above scenario…well, kind of boring. Where’s the tension? Where’s the conflict? Where’s the danger?

The goal of the young journalists, similarly writing on varied topics, was to finesse the phrase “…it was as if an occult hand had…” seamlessly into their news stories.

This afternoon, Sally Field phoned me with her monthly reminder that “tomorrow is Boniva day.” Maybe John Denver came calling tonight to suggest I pop a Vitamin D. God knows I need it, but I prefer my Vitamin D straight from the sky, thank you. Only these days, I’m not getting it.

Boomer with the girls It all started when I was a kid and was told, “NO, you can’t have a cat or dog because you’re allergic and having an animal would mean more asthma attacks…” Anyone who really knows me should KNOW better than to tell me, “NO, you can’t (fill in the blank),” especially [...]