Today I had the honor of speaking at West Boca Raton High School to the 11th grade Honors English class. Their amazing teacher, Lauren Schneider, decided to change things up. The kids read THE MOURNING AFTER in class this past month, and we had a thoughtful discussion about the book and how it came to life. I had a feeling the kids were going to teach me more than I could ever teach them. They did not disappoint.

So you want to write a book? Today it is easier than ever to see your words in print. While easy doesn't always translate into success, it means that there are choices. You need to pick the one that is best for you. Such was the discussion at the recent Miami Beach JCC Author Panel. Thank you to Books & Books' Mitch Kaplan for moderating, my fellow authors Nick Spill, Ellen Brazer, and Joshua Max Feldman, and for the wonderful group of attendees--all with writing on their minds.

To quote Judy Melinek, forensic pathologist and author of Working Stiff, book fair is "a lot like getting lost in a bookstore but with people instead of books!"

One of my greatest pleasures is connecting good people with good products. Your Teen is one of my absolute favorite magazines. Anyone with teenage children should be reading this publication, which goes beyond the fluff of adolescent angst and gets to the root of major issues concerning our teens today. Nothing is sugar-coated. Being a teenager is real, heavy stuff, and with modern technology and the overwhelming pressures on our children, we, as parents, must stay informed.

If you’re from Florida, don’t blink, because if you do, you’re sure to close your eyes in summer and open them to the start of school. What? When did this happen? It’s August! Miami—and to quote our very own hometown celebrity Lisa Petrillo—is “uninhabitable” in the summer so imagine bypassing the bathing suit for a clingy, polyester uniform and suffering a mild stroke in PE while lugging books and backpacks to the steamy, hot car. But that’s not what I’m going to blog about today. No one cares much about Miami these days, though I will talk about a hot car.

Our twin boys return from sleep away camp in a few hours. Wishing for their return means wishing the summer away, and closing their cabin door means stepping into a home which feels distant and awkward. Experience prepares us for the requisite how to’s: how to prepare for that big game and big exam. But what prepares our kids (and us) for re-entry into a comfortable, yet foreign land? Just because we want them home, doesn’t mean they want to be there.

Raising our teenage sons to think pink instead of blue. Read my latest blog at Your Teen Magazine.

Thank you for thinking about me today.

Mother's Day takes an already difficult day and makes it harder.

Every day is a hard day.

The world has become so high-tech these days. Last weekend, my husband and I ordered Chipotle take-out from my smart phone and were sent a reply that our order would be ready for pick-up in precisely twenty minutes. As we contemplated what to do in Aventura while we waited to pick up our order, my husband jokingly suggested, “Why don’t we meander around the bookstore for a few minutes?” The genesis of the comment is our shared disappointment since the Borders and Barnes and Noble in Aventura closed.

Dear Jordan and Brandon,

Today is September 12, 2001. It is a Wednesday and when you are older you will probably read in the history books about what happened to our country yesterday, September 11, 2001. I am sorry that it takes something so horrifying to happen to all of our lives to prompt me to write to you. I suppose we all believe that in some way we are immortal, untouchable, but we are not.