Jackie Collins: Why Bad Girls Finish First

Jackie Collins writes about bad girls.
If you want a really great on-the-edge-of-your-seat page-turner, then yes, it takes one to know one.
Collins admits she was a wild child growing up. “I’d climb out of windows to go out and party at night.”
Those hair-raising formative years were spent in  London. But by the time she was [...]

Tome of the Mommy: Runaway Moms

Not everyone is cut out to have children.
Is that a blasphemy to say?
No. Because we all know it’s true.
Admit it: Doesn’t your belly tighten with dread when you’re in the presence of some woman who is visibly annoyed with, or publicly derisive to, her kid, embarrassing the poor thing in front of you or [...]

Tome of the Mommy: Ask Yourself, “Why did I Marry Him?”

I’ve been blessed with a wonderful relationship. My husband, Martin, and I have been together for over twenty years.
I’m always amazed when unhappy couples stay in a marriage. Isn’t the  goal to be with someone who makes you happy?
Not because each party feels some obligation to stay in the marriage.
When questioned as to whether they [...]

Tome of the Mommy: The Fighting of the Tree

For some of us, holiday rituals are our happiest memories. For others, they are the flint that sparks our greatest fears. Maybe memories of unhappy holidays past haunt us. Or maybe we stress out at the pressure to project “happiness” during this time of year.
If something truly important is bothering us, faking some form of [...]

Tome of the Mommy: “You Know I Hate to Gossip, But –”

Everyone does it, right? We diss on our best buds, tell tales out of school.
When we’re asked to keep a secret, we cross our hearts, hope to die . . .
Instead we spill our guts.
I’ve always been a social animal. In the human jungle, gossip is the best bait, a tasty fodder that shows we’re [...]

Books and Bonbons: According to Jane by Marilyn Brant

The Plot: It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. From nowhere comes a quiet ‘tsk’ of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten.
Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s [...]