Not Your Mothers Book and Other News From The Nonfiction Front

I've just gotten word that the opening story of my mommy memoir, Karma, Kickbacks and Kids, which bears the same title in on the table of contents for Not Your Mother's Book: On Parenting. This brings the total of stories contracted for this updated and  irreverent and humorous take on the Chicken Soup for the Soul series to two, and I have six other stories on submission there.

This is exciting, coming on the heels of the rave reviews for Not Your Mother's Book: On Being a Woman, which was released in October. Hurricane Sandy nixed my plans to coordinate readings and book signings before the holidays with other local authors represented therein, but hopefully something will work out this spring when NYMB: On Parenting has it's currently scheduled release in April.

Unless, of course, we have a spring Nor easter blow through shattering the already tenuous control we have on the cleanup and recovery and the streets go through their usual springtime collapse after frigid temperatures, snow, tons of salt and the sheer volume of New York City traffic.

But let's be optimistic.

I am in Week 9 of 12, with an intentional capitalization, of a killer semester in my doctoral program, deeply immersed (and often befuddled) with statistical methods and trying to stay on top of the latest health information technology issues for the second course. I live with the realities of HIT daily, interfacing-or facing off-with no fewer than four electronic medical record applications in the throes of interoperability and meaningful use compliance while trying to focus on my real mission: patient care.

To that end, course work has complemented my workplace realities and I hope that my current project will benefit my employer, so generously reimbursing my tuition as well as advance my progress toward the DNP. But I have to write the papers, due in two weeks, first and therein lies the challenge as I have finally succumbed to the virus afflicting so many of my patients and my daughter's classmates--including her.

It will happen because I will make it--and look forward to a long rest after a few all nighters. But I'm looking forward to a brief rest and an easier next semester with only one course to allow me to put the finishing touches on my research proposal. It felt like I'd never finish graduate school either but I did and look at me now.

My fiction writing is on a serious hold, of course, but if anyone wants an update click over to my fiction blog. There are stories in the making, appearances planned in Westchester at the Hilton Rye Town with signings (my nonfiction will be on sale as well) for the weekend of March 15-17. Hope to see some of you there.

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