ME: All I want is a sign to tell me what to do; just a little sign. Is that too much to ask? UNIVERSE: Here! I look up to see a two-ton weight hurtling toward me and it dawns on me that perhaps I should get moving. Maybe, like, uh right NOW. That’s what I’m doing […]
Dreaming of Small Spaces
While growing up, my sister and I watched endless reruns of Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and That Girl and then took turns pretending to be the lead characters. While Marlo Thomas had, hands down, the best wardrobe, it was way cooler to be Samantha or Jeannie because they were magic. But given that Samantha was […]
What I’ve Learned While Teaching… and how my Jo March fantasy came to life…
Like many writers, I’ve always loved reading, cutting my teeth on Mrs. Piggle Wiggle and Harriet the Spy, followed by Little Women, which I must have read eight times before sixth grade. I loved Meg, hated Amy, and wanted to be Jo writing in her garret. That fantasy has been my reality here at Lenoir-Rhyne […]
Regrets and Kindness
Regrets and kindness, what can they possibly have in common? Best-selling author George Saunders, for one. Saunders, speaking in Charlotte last week, said one of the best questions to ask an old person is, “What are your regrets?” Some people believe everything happens for a reason so regrets are a waste of time. The rest […]
Top 3 Tips for Living With Style (When You’re a Pauper)
When InStyle magazine labels a t-shirt a bargain at $198, the Sunday paper features designer sheets for a mere $267 per set in “Master Suite Makeovers,” and some gardening guru deems a dolphin-shaped spigot a steal at $1375, we are fooled into believing these prices are normal. At the very least, these paeans to Kardashian […]
Beyoncé, Cam and Me @ #Hard Rock Café
In today’s polarized climate (yes, it is really cold here, but I mean this in the “extremely opposed” sense) we are a nation divided, firmly in one camp and definitely not the other. Consider: Super Bowl 50 fallout — Beyoncé fans vs. Beyoncé haters; Cam fans vs. Cam haters; Denver vs. Charlotte in the canned food […]
Lost In The Jungle
After finishing FALL, I workshopped it; gave it to impartial, published writers for further critique; amended accordingly; then set out on my quest for representation. I’m still searching. Granted, some journeys take longer than others. Some are fraught with adventure. Others are just doomed. Once on a business trip in India, my husband hired a […]
Secret Agent Man
Remember this song? Secret agent man Secret agent man They’ve given you a number, and taken away your name. It was first sung by Johnny Rivers for the British spy series Danger Man. Since then, the song’s been covered by everyone from Mel Torme to WalMart (they changed the lyrics to Rollback Man) to […]
The [Quarter] Hour of Power — Free Writing Evangelism
![The [Quarter] Hour of Power — Free Writing Evangelism](http://averycaswell.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/desk2x-150x150.jpg)
There has been a novel floating around in my head for six or seven years. It is partially based on a true story told to me by a relative of a good friend. When this woman asked me to write her story, I didn’t know how to begin. I told some friends, writers Nana Howton […]