About

I’m a college-educated, forty-something single mother of a teenage boy, living in the suburbs of Southern California. In the words of Grumpy Cat, “I hate it.” Where I live, that is. I’m the only single white mother for miles and miles around. Or at least the only one who’s not doing meth. (Trust me, if you’re familiar with this area, you’d know what I was talking about.)

I have never been one to live by the dictates of society: Go to college, get a job, get married, buy a house, have kids, go on vacation once a year, fall into a sexual rut with my spouse, have a mid-life crisis, have an affair, stay together for the sake of the children.

Nope, no status quo for me. I believe in following one’s dreams, always have. Of course, that path isn’t always easy.

I wanted to be a famous actress when I was younger. Perhaps I had the beauty and the talent to succeed, even if I didn’t realize it then. I was scoring acting jobs and honing my craft Off-Broadway, when at 26, I came down with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. CFS is like having Mononucleosis forever. It sucks. A lot. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t bitter about that. I switched to writing, because I still desperately needed to be creative, and well, when you’re exhausted all the time, you just can’t do seven shows a week and two on Sunday. So now I’m like the author, Laura Hillenbrand, who wrote Seabiscuit, except without the raging success.

I wrote my first novel, a YA contemporary, in 2000; my second novel, a romance, in 2008. After numerous rejections for both, I’m ecstatic to report that my romance, THE ACCIDENTAL COUGAR, was released by The Wild Rose Press on 11/23/12. As cynical as I seem about relationships, I adore romance and a “happily ever after.”

Here’s my second published romance. Yay!

So what the hell am I doing in the suburbs of San Bernardino County?  An anti-single parent environment, filled with mini-vans covered in stick-figure families and bumper stickers praising their kid’s accomplishments (although in the section of town where I live you just get your kids’ names tattooed on your neck); where every woman gets their nails done religiously and married men make passes at me, claiming their wives won’t sleep with them anymore (ugh!). Well, I moved to this area with my son’s father to be closer to my father and his family. My son was one at the time, and we both felt it was the right thing to do, which fucks me every time. My now-ex left me for his demons soonafter (Boy, was I in denial over hundreds of red flags) and a few years later, my dad threw me out of his house for looking at him the wrong way, which was really just an excuse for failing to live up to his expectations of me becoming a doctor or lawyer. I realize now how important it is for parents to be able to brag to their friends about how successful their children are. It makes them feel less of a failure. Anyhoo, now I’m banished from all things family, and am on my own without help from anyone. C’est la vie.

This is not a warm and fuzzy blog about the joys of single motherhood, the beauty of writing, or my quest to find “the One.” So if you’re looking for inspirational, touching stories and/or sage advice, I’d advise you to shield your eyes from my posts and google “I love my life,” instead. Trust me, this blog is not for the eternally optimistic, cheerful reader. It is simply my view of reality, albeit a biting and sarcastic one. If I don’t find the humor in my craptastic life, who will?

Oh, and I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York, so that really doesn’t help with my snarky attitude. Californians don’t get my sarcasm; they get insulted. And they always think I’m mad, when I’m simply excitedly expressing my opinions.

Btw, my favorite holiday is Halloween. I start planning for it on Nov. 1st. Here I am dressed as a black widow spider, with my son as a skeleton.

My favorite costume of all, but hands down, the most uncomfortable…Catwoman!

I’m not sure what the hell I am here.

The diva and I as peacocks (because it’s so important to coordinate costumes with the dog).

 

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to leave comments on my posts. I’m actually extremely gracious when answering them.