I saw more than one ridiculous commercial this morning about an app to help you reward your child for using the potty. One even depicted a fantastical “first flush party.” People do this? (Evidently they do.) Reminded me of some criticism I’ve gotten for talking too much about peeing in my memoir. Fair criticism, I’llContinue reading “Everybody pees”
Category Archives: criticism
Movies that make you believe in God
My people like our Christmases dark, especially when it comes to the movie portion of our celebration. An all-time favorite Christmas Day screening was Quills, starring Geoffrey Rush as the Marquis de Sade. Two years ago, Black Swan was my favorite Christmas movie. During the past week at my mom’s, I read Gone Girl (Marriage canContinue reading “Movies that make you believe in God”
The Chronology of The Chronology of Water
When I file this under Books Like Mine, I don’t really mean that my dog memoir would sit on the shelf next to this memoir about sexual abuse, promiscuity, and substance use. They’re both memoirs. I guess that’s all they have in common. Mine is straightforwardly linear. We get a dog. We love the dog.Continue reading “The Chronology of The Chronology of Water”
Vampires should have fangs
Look, teen vampire romances and me, we go way back. Like all the way back to the original. The Lost Boys. (I’m totally, unapologetically Team Kiefer. Then and now.) I know my horror genres. Hell, I took a class at USC toward my degree about Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy in film. (Best class ever.) I readContinue reading “Vampires should have fangs”
Self-imposed required reading
I’ve signed up for the Wild Mountain Memoir Retreat in March, and have added a bunch of books to my to-read list in anticipation. Cheryl Strayed is the keynote speaker, and I’ve had her memoir, Wild, on my Nook since before my trip to Russia. (I keep wanting to call it “Strayed.”) I haven’t started readingContinue reading “Self-imposed required reading”
If Madonna isn’t too old for this sh*t, how come I am?
The past few years, every time I go to a big concert (which is like, once a year), I think to myself, “Maybe I don’t need to be spending hundreds of dollars to sit really far back in a stadium and watch a performance on a video screen.” I had thought it would be awesomeContinue reading “If Madonna isn’t too old for this sh*t, how come I am?”
I chose our lodging because of the Vampire Diaries
The Petrovka Loft is in quite an upscale Moscow neighborhood, which turns out not to be the good thing it would seem. The entrance is near a porn store in an alley, which is dark and sketchy at night, and there’s no place nearby to buy a candy bar and a bottle of water beforeContinue reading “I chose our lodging because of the Vampire Diaries”
My take on the Dog Whisperer vs. Food Aggressive Dog
I’m not a dog behaviorist. I’m not even a very good trainer of my own dogs, but I’ve read a lot about different methods and over the past six years, I’ve learned a lot about dog behavior and body language. Early on in my education, I watched The Dog Whisperer and tried to follow hisContinue reading “My take on the Dog Whisperer vs. Food Aggressive Dog”
Another aggressive dog memoir
When pitching a memoir, authors are advised to name competitive titles. Easy enough to do with a dog memoir; there are so many. I thought Smiley Bird was unique because it’s a love letter to an aggressive dog. Until recently, the most similar memoir I had read was Part Wild: One Woman’s Journey with a CreatureContinue reading “Another aggressive dog memoir”
A prolific writer of dog books
I have a fantasy that after my memoir about Isis is published and hugely successful — or even just a modest success — that I will write Rescuing Mia. Maybe Leo will get his own book. I will write memoirs about every dog I ever have for the rest of my life. I also willContinue reading “A prolific writer of dog books”
Kari Neumeyer 