The Joys of Omission

         My first published poem appeared in The Commercial Appeal when I was thirteen. It was quite thrilling. 
 

​        Years later, The Wall Street Journal published my second poem, a witty verse, in their Salt and Pepper column. Thus began and ended my poetry career.
 

​       But never underestimate the power of doggerel poetry. When a friend invited me to apply for a contract writing job at a large company, she introduced me to a room of top level managers by saying, “Deborah recently had a piece in The Wall Street Journal.” 
 

​      They sat up straighter, looked at me with keen interest, and hired me without asking a single question about my credentials! 

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Even When Put Down, Never Give Up

        My eleventh-grade English teacher was the first to encourage me as a writer. She was particularly impressed by my comparison of Seymour Glass and Holden Caulfield. 

        During my sophomore year in college, my creative writing professor was the first to discourage me. He told me my work was “sophomoric!” I didn’t dare say, “Sir, I AM a sophomore!”

       Now, hundreds of articles, essays, and short stories, dozens of books, plus a myriad of editing and ghost-writing projects later, I am living out a long-time dream: writing a novel. An Old Woman Walks Into a Bar is a work-of-my-heart and I am honored to share it with you.

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The Wonders of Writing

        Writing invites me into other people’s lives and that intimate window enriches my own life. By listening to others’ stories, my own view of the world expands. By writing others’ stories, I am a catalyst for connection.

       Writing invites me deeper into myself, my soul, revealing a meandering mysterious path that defies mapping. In writing fiction or essays, I explore my life in new ways. I allow my subconscious to guide my words. Then I usher in my grown-up, grammar-laden rational mind to tidy up those lush ramblings so others can understand them.