Posted on

Why I write what I write.

I sit tonight at a probably 10-foot long table alone, along a wall in Starbucks, because when I got here, it was the only available table near an outlet. I haven’t plugged my computer in yet, distracted so far by the patrons to my right.

A stepmother and adult stepdaughters. They sip seasonal beverages and discuss the family’s patriarch. Who they suspect is involved in infidelity. Who has been unfaithful before. Who isn’t happy.

“I can’t say I’m in it for the long haul,” stepmother warned. Stepdaughters understood. I understand, too.

This — a real life representation of relationships at nearly their worst (It could be still worse.) — hurts my heart. And my soul. And my head. This is why I write what I write. Continue reading “Why I write what I write.”

Posted on

Win a copy of ‘Chastity Is For Lovers: Single, Happy, and (Still) a Virgin’

Chastity_is_for_Lovers_3DYOU GUYS. It’s here. My debut book, Chastity Is For Lovers: Single, Happy, and (Still) a Virgin — about practicing chastity in a culture that calls it crazy — is done, printed, en route to the people who pre-ordered it.

I’m pumped. My publisher is pumped. To prove it, we are giving a copy of Chastity is For Lovers to ten winners to be selected in two ways. Want one? Read on: Continue reading “Win a copy of ‘Chastity Is For Lovers: Single, Happy, and (Still) a Virgin’”

Posted on

Meet me in Tampa. And New York. And St. Louis. And…

FullSizeRender (1)
I almost promise to make this face in your city.

If you’re in or near Tampa, New York, or St. Louis, prepare to mark your calendar. (If you aren’t, click here.) I’ve booked events where you are, and I want to see you there. Read on for details:

  • SPRING HILL, FL: A Chastity Is For Lovers book launch party is from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 5, 2014 in Xavier Hall at St. Frances Cabrini Roman Catholic Church, 5030 Mariner Blvd., Spring Hill. Books will be for sale and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP on Facebook, or via email.
  • TAMPA, FL: A Chastity is For Lovers book launch party — to be MC’d by Abby from Spirit FM’s Big Big House Morning Show — is from 1-3 p.m. Dec. 6, 2014 in rooms 201-203 in the Mary Martha Center (aka the Spirit FM building) at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church, 821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Books will be for sale and refreshments will be served. Please RSVP on Facebook, or via email.
  • NEW YORK, NY: I’ll give a talk about practicing chastity in a culture that says we shouldn’t at an event hosted by the Catholic Fellowship of NYC at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 2014 in the lower church/church hall at the Church of the Holy Innocents, 128 W 37th St. (between Broadway and 7th Ave.) in Manhattan. Please RSVP on Facebook.
  • ST. LOUIS, MO: I’ll give a talk about practicing chastity in a culture that says we shouldn’t at a Theology on Tap hosted by the Archdiocese of St. Louis at 7 p.m. Feb. 10, 2015 at Kirkwood Station Brewing, 105 E Jefferson Ave., St. Louis.
  • NEW PORT RICHEY, FL: I’ll read an excerpt from Chastity Is For Lovers, plus speak and take questions, at an Evening With the Author at 6:30 p.m. March 20, 2015 at the Downtown New Port Richey Art Gallery, 6231 Grand Blvd., New Port Richey.

For the rest of my schedule as well as to see where I’ve already spoken, click here.

 

Posted on

My grandma vs. pop music (and how to undo damage done).

If you aren’t sure whether your children’s favorite songs are good for their impressionable minds or precious souls, there is one foolproof way to find out: dance to them with my grandmother.

She is 77, and moved to the US from Italy when she was 10. She can and will cut a rug, and she doesn’t care who knows it, or where she is while she’s proving it. (You’re welcome, all the people at Red Lobster that one time.) What my grandmother will not do, however, is let a single song lyric slide if it’s off-color.

You haven’t known scandal until you’ve seen what her face looks like upon her discovery that the title of the song she’s dancing to is “Sexy and I Know It.” Nary a body, a booty, or a b-word (yes, that b-word) goes unnoticed in lyrics, which fascinates me – a 28-year-old woman (29 on Friday!), who has grown up as part of a generation widely unfazed by what shocks my grandma.

But what might shock you is what else once shocked her: my virginity.

Read the rest of this post (plus a Chastity Is For Lovers book launch party announcement!) on Spirit FM’s Mom Squad blog.

Posted on

NUNS ARE COOL! | Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble edition.

[callout]This post is part of a monthly series called PRIESTS & NUNS ARE COOL! in which I interview a priest or a nun about his or her vocation — and about how adults who haven’t discerned a vocation yet can discover their own. This edition features Sr. Theresa, a Daughter of St. Paul who lives in Miami.[/callout]

biopicSr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, who professed her first vows as a Daughter of St. Paul earlier this year, used to be an atheist.

Now, she is author of the book The Prodigal You Love: Inviting Loved Ones Back to the Church, a guide for Catholics who have loved ones who have left the Church and an interest in inviting them back. Sr. Theresa spends time talking to parish groups about the book and helping people apply what she wrote in it.

She describes her life as apostolic and contemplative, busy but peaceful. She lives in a convent in Miami, evangelizes in a Paulinas bookcenter, drinks café cubano, bakes bread, and blogs. She is gracious to discuss her vocation for this series, and to tell us how an adult who doesn’t know his or hers yet might discover it: Continue reading “NUNS ARE COOL! | Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble edition.”