Cover of First 'Hot Flashes' Anthology Next month I have a short story, “Salt Melts Like Snow,” coming out in an anthology called Hot Flashes 2: More Sexy Little Stories & Poems. Linda and Laurie, the fantastic duo of editors, held a celebratory reading at Book Passage in Marin on Saturday evening. We had my folks lined up to babysit both Melina and Kai so that Joey and I could schmooze in peace with the other writers and enjoy some sexy little readings over a yummy array of wine, cheese, and fruit. A date night and personal literary landmark in one – fabulous!

Jelly Bean had a different idea. Two days earlier, about a week shy of her three-month birthday, she went on a bottle strike. Overnight our rockstar bottle feeder from three weeks old realized that silicone and flesh feel different, and that she most certainly prefers mommy’s nipple or no nipple at all. So instead of leaving her to scream at my parents once feeding time came, we put her in a nice summer dress and took her to her first literary event.

It was still fabulous, perhaps moreso. Everyone doted on Melina, I re-met a writer acquaintance who recently had twin boys (we discussed forming our own “writing mamas” group), and deep down I was proud to share my work with my 12-week-old daughter regardless of her not understanding a word.

For her part, Melina did just fine. Of course she pooped twiced but discreetly, and decided a quiet room full of people listening to a reading was a great time to practice her loud “aaaaaa” and “gaaaaa” sounds – but Daddy just took her for a walk or three. They both got to hear me read, and since then I’ve spent more and more time reading age-appropriate stories to little Meli. She’s enraptured by Dr. Suess (“Mr. Brown Can Moo” and “Hop On Pop”) and the classic “Good Night Moon,” among others.

Feel free to read my story here, but please also consider purchasing the anthology. Just contact me and I’ll set you up with a copy next month!

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