I’ve been pretty quiet on social media lately. After two decades of daily immersion in online spaces, gulping down other people’s opinions, hot takes, think-pieces, tweet threads and TikTok diatribes (and contributing plenty of my own perspectives) my voice has all but dried up. Oh sure, I’m still on the socials. But not the way…
Category: Fiction
Q Review | The Life of Insects | Victor Pelevin
I love weird books but they’re surprisingly hard to find. I don’t mean books with weird characters, or edgy themes. I mean books that turn your brain upside down and make you wonder what in the hell you’ve just read. (I’m always on the lookout, so drop me a line if you have any recommendations!)…
The Qreative Life Podcast | S2E13 | Roanna Flowers
In this episode, Q talks with Austin-based writer and author Roanna Flowers about Roanna’s lifelong obsession with the written word, how she ‘found her voice’, and the benefits of breaking your own rules to overcome creative resistance. About Roanna: Roanna Flowers is a writer based in Austin, Texas. Her short story “The Bitches of Eastwick”…
Q Review | Death to the Bullshit Artists of South Texas | Fernando A. Flores
A few months ago I went to a recently opened indie bookstore called Alienated Majesty, close to the University of Texas campus. It’s a cute place with all kinds of cool stuff you might not find in a larger, corporate chain. The staff was helpful, and when I went to pay, the guy at the…
Q Review | Dead-End Memories | Banana Yoshimoto
“The words I read in books seemed to strike me more deeply, and with my senses sharpened by grief, I noticed the glittering transition of the seasons as clearly as if I held the grief in the palm of my hand. It had been a long while since I’d experienced a fall so clear and…
Q Review | Death on Gokumon Island | Seishi Yokomizo
If you know me, you know that I love murder stories. 90% of my television viewing happens on BritBox and involves some detective or another solving capital crimes. Many of these stories are formulaic, steeped in genre tropes, but that’s part of the draw. It’s comforting, relaxing even, to solve high crimes alongside an oddball…
Q Review | The Informers | Bret Easton Ellis
This is another one of my Goodwill finds, and the first book by Bret Easton Ellis that I’ve ever read. American Psycho is on my list to get to someday, but this one was $1.99 and flipping through the pages I was assured of a quick and dirty read, so I went for it. I…
Blog 4.30.24
Yesterday was extremely busy and productive. Today I’m feeling a bit washed out. Which is fine. I’m learning to listen to my body and adjust my pace, as needed. I did get up early and do yoga and journaling this morning; and I’ve done a read-through of the next three chapters that I’m editing this…
Blog 4.23.24
Today I have a break in the writing action because it’s time to clean the damn house. Back when I was working full-time and raising two kids, I used to be much more fastidious about keeping up with it. It’s amusing to find that the more time I have, the less I want to use…
Q Review | Crocodile Soup | Julia Darling
The Q Review features short reviews of books, movies and music. When buying used books at a thrift store there’s very little chance of finding the exact titles on my ‘to read’ list; but for as little as $1.99 I can pick up five random volumes for around ten dollars, and even if only one…