Archive for the ‘Mothers and Daughters’ Category:

My sister likes to say that one of the reasons I left Brooklyn for Madison five years ago was so I could have no friends. It’s true that I’m a bit of a loner. This is a good thing considering my profession—writing is obviously a solitary pursuit. But on occasion, even I recognize the need for adult socializing.

Photos of Mothers and Daughters in bookstores

My third novel, Mothers and Daughters, comes out today. In honor of this momentous event in my life, I want to pause and thank the teachers who got me started.

Mothers and Daughters comes out in four days. It’s a strange time, this period just before publication. When my first novel came out five years ago, I thought something magical was going to happen on the release date, some lightening bolt, some fireworks. But it was a normal day, the only difference being I could now ask everyone I knew to buy my book.

This time around, my photo (the one here on the site) caused me great anxiety. I was nine months pregnant. I had only one shirt that fit and was decent enough to wear. I had to go buy lipstick—I felt like I was thirteen—because I don’t really wear makeup anymore. Luckily I was able to find a salon to blow out my hair early in the morning before the photographer arrived. And I managed not to give birth during the shoot. Success!

When my sisters and I was young, on particularly gorgeous spring mornings, my mom would fling open the windows and say, “Remember this day, girls!” My mother is an optimistic lover of life, and, the older I get, the more I appreciate her indomitable attitude.

So on this random, winter-dragging Tuesday in March, I thought I’d follow her example and remember this day:

When I was a kid, I loved to tumble. My friend Denise and I took gymnastics class on Saturday mornings, and we perfected our round-off back-handsprings in the front yard. I competed in high school, and floor exercise was my favorite. There was never a question of whether I’d be that good at gymnastics. I’m tall, for one, and I wasn’t especially talented. Given what can happen to girls who are hardcore gymnasts, it’s probably just as well. (For a glimpse into the harrowing world of elite gymnastics, read my friend, and 1986 National Champion, Jennifer Sey’s moving memoir Chalked Up.)

For my looming 40th birthday, my husband gave me a romantic night at the Chambers Le Meridien. For me and the baby. Sure, my first choice would have been a night alone with my husband, but we’re not in a position to do that given our three-year-old. He offered to keep both kids and send me alone, but I didn’t really want to pump or be away from the baby for that matter.

Here’s my confession. To my health-nut husband’s horror, I love McDonald’s. For someone who cares about food, this is almost as bad as my embarrassing preference for flavored coffee. I grew up with the occasional McDonald’s on a Saturday with my dad, or on our summer drives from Ohio to South Carolina, or on any road trip since. For many years, I stopped going to McDonald’s altogether. But then I fell off the wagon, and lately, I swing by the drive-through from time to time for two hamburgers and small fries. Or for my favorite, a caramel sundae, which tastes even better at McDonald’s in Paris.

I was skeptical when I saw a recipe for chocolate pudding made with avocados instead of eggs and milk. Desserts without wheat, dairy, or eggs rarely feel that satisfying. But then we made it. It took five minutes, and it was divine. Before you say “gross,” try it. It’s crazy, but it works. Behold, the recipe for easy, healthful, rich, ingenious, delicious chocolate pudding.