What The New York Times Missed In Their Article On Nashville

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What The New York Times Missed In Their Article On Nashville

Nashville. It's an interesting place. If you've been here, you are familiar with the unique vibe that sets it apart from all other cities. We're southern, but not too much. We're cultured, but we remember our roots. We love music - all kinds, not just country. We love food so much that the explosion of restaurants recently got a write up in GQ.

So when the New York Times did a piece on the city Wednesday, I rejoiced. But when I started reading, I quickly got frowny. In all of the accolades, there was no mention of our incredible literary scene.

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I Am Not Cool

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I Am Not Cool

I attended a conference last week, the first stop on my tour for Edge Of Black. There were two things I took away.

One—being a writer is a kick-ass job, because in addition to telling lies for a living, we get to meet cool people on the road: other writers who embody awesomeness, readers who appreciate you, people who feed you. (So true…)

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This Woman's Work

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This Woman's Work

I was indulging in an age-old female tradition the other day—getting my nails done—when I overheard two older women strike up a conversation at the dryer. I listened with fascination as they circled each other, looking for that commonality that would allow them to have a meaningful exchange. One had children, the other didn’t. Strike one. One went to First Baptist, the other attended First Presbyterian. Strike two. They’d both discovered the nail salon about a month ago, and agreed it was one of the best they’d been to. And then came the home run: “Well, what did you do for work?”

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Failure Is Not An Option. (Or Is It?)

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Failure Is Not An Option. (Or Is It?)

My yoga instructor constantly reminds me that how you do yoga is how you live your life.

She generally makes this casual statement when I'm knee deep in a difficult pose, gritting my teeth, forgetting my breath, unwilling to admit I'm killing myself trying to stay in the pose. There's a rule for when this happens - you're supposed to drop out of the pose and take rest in child's pose.

But to me, that would be admitting failure.

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