So, I may be slightly off-topic this week, in-so-much as I’m not writing about writing exactly, but I was inspired by yet another article I found at the excellent arts and culture site aeon.co. In Why the Dandy is a Subversive Work of Public Art, Oxford scholar Tara Isabella Burton argues that the Dandy figure is so much more than a self-absorbed fop. She posits instead that he is, (and I’m using the masculine here only for historical purposes), a rather subversive character.

So, the writing that motivated me to write this week all started with a newspaper article I found, about a Venice, Florida substitute teacher and the mess she found herself in with local school board officials and 12th-grade parents this year after just two days on the job! Let me fill you in. According to Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Yadira Lopez, one Lisa del Rosso, formerly a writing professor at New York University, (so clearly no academic slouch), gave her 12th-grade Englis

This week we conclude the interview with the wonderful Kimberly McGath. We focus more on what motivates her and how she gets into the writing groove. Don't forget to check out her books Zodiac: Settling the Score and Let Them See! What convinced you it was time to dedicate yourself to writing and performing? Do you have any regrets leaving law enforcement behind? My main motivation for retiring was to spend more time with my family, but I was also frustrated with not being ab

Happy New Year to everyone! One of the really cool things about the writing community is how remarkably supportive it is. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting fabulous authors with remarkable backgrounds, and Kimberly McGath is no exception. She is a retired homicide detective who now spends her time writing true crime, fiction, and music. She's also written a heart-wrenching account of her son's illness which will move you to tears. If being beautiful and smart wasn’t enough, sh