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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

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Splash! My New Mobile-Friendly Website Is Here

April 24, 2018 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Introducing Barbara Falconer Newhall's new mobile-friendly website with pic of Barbara at age 8 with new nner tube on the beach. Photo by Tinka Falconer

My new mobile-friendly website is up and running, and I feel the way I did when I got a brand-new inner tube with my name on it: ready to go places. Read more.

Ann Patchett — My Brand-New Favorite Author

October 26, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

detail of cover of Ann Patchett's audio book "Truth and Beauty."

I’ve got a new favorite author. It’s Ann Patchett. Step aside Marilynne Robinson and Annie Dillard, Leo Tolstoy and Richard Ford. You, too, Philip Roth. Read more.

The Writing Room: Am I Stuck? Or Am I Just Taking a Little Housekeeping Break?

August 17, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Am I stuck as a writer? I'd rather watch this asphalt crew at work filling in gutter in front of my house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Sitting at a blank laptop screen awaiting writerly inspiration isn’t that much fun nowadays. I’d rather watch the guys laying asphalt in front of our house. Am I stuck? Read more.

“Bamboo Secrets” — A Love Story in the Shadow of Japan

December 29, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Patricia Dove Miller signs copies of her new book, "Bamboo Secrets," at Book Passage, Marin, June 11, 2016. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I thought my writing buddy’s book “Bamboo Secrets” was about a sojourn to Japan in search of her creative identity. It turned out to be a love story. Read more.

Book Awards — My Big Starter List for Authors

September 29, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Book contests. An IPPY award certificate on a winning writer's desk. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Want to win some book contests? If you’re self-published or an author published by a small, independent press — here’s a starter list of contests to enter. Read more.

Kirkus Reviews ‘Wrestling with God’ This Month

September 15, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Cover of the Sept. 1, 2016, Kirkus Review, which contains a review of "Wrestling with God" by Barbara Falconer Newhall

Kirkus reviews ‘Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith” in its print edition this month. Read more.

The Shame of Aging: The Big Seven-Five Has Finally Arrived

September 8, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The shame of aging -- a writer has tossed old filed in a wastebasket. the Big Seven-Five. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It’s here. My birthday. The Big Seven-Five. I’m now officially old. But I don’t wear my trousers rolled. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Upper Lip and Other Sorrows

Lucille Ball with red lipstick and hair

I feel bad about my lip. My upper lip. Nora Ephron felt bad about her neck, a body part she made famous back in 2006 with her book I Feel Bad About My Neck. Nora also felt bad about her frizzy grey hair, parched skin, incipient mustache, flabby upper arms, and tendency toward belly fat. She was getting older.

 

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

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