Welcome!
I’m so glad you’re here, even if the picture below is giving, “Wait, don’t come in, but really, do, I want you to. Come in.” If you enjoy the humor in all of life’s follies, you’re in the right place. This Substack was created to make YOU feel better about your life choices by sharing all the mistakes I’ve made in mine. I’m giving you full permission to feel as much schadenfreude as you want. And who doesn’t love an opportunity to schadenfreude?
Why subscribe? (The real question is, Why the f*ck not?)
As a FREE subscriber, here's what you can look forward to:
Weekly Posts: Real-life accounts and experiences from my own life and other contributing storytellers regarding moments of laughter that otherwise would have left us/them in tears. Warning: Sometimes you might laugh AND cry while reading.
Insights: Practical perspectives on mid-life wellness, relationships, career transitions and self-discovery.
Cultural Conversations: Engaging in discussions on societal trends and culture that shape and reflect our lives via Q&A’s and/or collaborations.
Occasional Podcast Recordings: I try my best to offer an audio version of all my posts. Sometimes you get them for free, sometimes you don’t.
As a PAID subscriber, you can enjoy the above PLUS:
Archives: Have FULL access to all archived posts. Yup. Even the free posts don’t stay free forever.
Memoir Previews: Paid subscribers will have a sneak peak into excerpts from my forthcoming memoir, So I Married A Narcissist, Because All The Axe Murderers Were Already Taken.
All Podcast Recordings: Yes. You read that right. You get ALL of them.
Who am I?
If you don’t know me, I’m an award-winning writer, soulsinger/songwriter, former Francophile, and bad feminist.
As a writer: I have co-created several theatrical works with Grammy-nominated producer/life partner Tor Hyams. Our collaborations include Stealing Time, a musical about reclaiming personal power, which premiered at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2012 . In addition, we’ve written: Senior Living, “a play about people dying to live”, (world premiere production at Portland Stage directed by Judith Ivey), Howie D: Back in the Day, a family musical based on the meteoric rise of Backstreet Boy, Howie D, (The Rose Theatre, Omaha, world premiere 2020), the commissioned adaptation of Green Acres (based on the famed television show with a talking pig), are currently workshopping the Broadway-bound musical based on the Will Smith movie, Collateral Beauty, in collaboration with its screenwriter Allan Loeb as well as a new play titled Idio(ma)tic with best-selling American playwright/actor, John Cariani. Oh yeah, about that “award.” I won a one-act play competition in 2020 for Old Opera House Theatre’s New Voice Play Festival (garnering $250 prize) for Sex Again. Not for having sex again, for writing about not having it, and wanting to have it again, as a 70-something future widow version of me.
As a performer: I’m a soul singer from St. Louis, MO who is a recovering opera singer (MM from Boston University) and former musical theatre performer (notable credits: playing Hold Me Touch Me on Broadway in Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Sharon Graham opposite Lucie Arnaz in Terrance McNally’s Master Class). My debut soul album, Ain’t No Good Man landed at #21 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart and showcased New Orleans’ music royalty, Ivan Neville, Cyril Neville, featuring the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”, Irma Thomas. I channeled my inner Edith Piaf meets Zaz in my sophomore album, Mes Trucs Préférés (My Favorite Things, 2022) supported by a mini-tour of the album in France. My latest album Oh Dang! was a Silksonic-inspired, Mika-flavored retro-soul extravaganza that dropped in June, 2024.
As a bad feminist: Because I say things like, “Personally speaking, the greatest achievement of the women’s movement has been the fashionable abandonment of wearing high heels.”
As a former Francophile: We moved to Paris for year with all the hopes and dreams of one day, moving there for good once the kids were all in college. But after a year, with all their rules and bureaucracy and “gonna getcha’” Parisian attitudes, the only way we are coming back to Paris is if someone paid us. Literally. My poor son never wants to hear or speak French again for the rest of his life after his experience as a junior in high school. Also, the sun doesn’t shine in Paris from October - April. True story.
My work has been characterized by its blend of humor, heart, and social insight, often exploring themes of personal transformation and resilience.
Stay up-to-date
Never miss an update—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.
Be part of a community of people who share your interests. Participate in the comments section, or support this work with a subscription!
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
