the barbecue capital of Texas

I kind of lean in a vegetarian direction.  But when you go to the Bar-B-Q capital of Texas, you just HAVE to be a carnivore. And last week, when my mom and I drove out to Lockhart, Texas, for a book event, we asked around for the best BBQ and got many different opinions.  Finally, […]

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the Lockhart Library

Last week, I drove out to Lockhart, Texas, with my mom for a book event.  The library in my new book, Get Lucky, is based on the historic library in Lockhart–the oldest library in Texas. It was so amazing to get to stand in the library that had sparked so many ideas in my head […]

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How NOT To Write: passive constructions

Why are they called “constructions”? Because a sentence is something you build, right?  You assemble it with words.  And those words can be active or passive.  But they should be active.  What’s the difference?  This: PASSIVE:  Mistakes were made by me. vs. ACTIVE:  I made mistakes. PASSIVE:  A good time was had by all. vs. ACTIVE:  We […]

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all my exes live in Marfa

Did I say “all”?  I actually meant “none.” But an old friend of one of my exes — who apparently bought his car — does. Here’s what I’m saying:  There is no way to describe how bizarre it is to drive into a tiny town that’s 3 hours into the desert from El Paso and […]

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video: make your own luck

I’ve just made a new trailer for Get Lucky that tries to feel a little bit like the book. I was super-lucky to get to use photos taken by my beautiful pal Andrea Jenkins of Hula Seventy, who is an amazing photographer, artist, blogger, and mama.  Beyond amazing, actually. I’ve been trying to make this video […]

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spoiled goats, fresh cheese: Blue Heron Farm

Over winter break, we went out to the country to visit my childhood friend Christian and his wife Lisa at their farm.  They make  the yummiest goat cheese ever, and I’m completely enchanted by their life.  I’m totally amazed by Lisa, who is always so warm and sweet to us, and who writes a very lovely blog […]

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praise for Get Lucky

“[A] thoroughly enjoyable girlish romp.” – Library Journal “Center delivers an original, engaging, and touching novel populated with quirky and lovable characters, and ripe for discovery by readers looking for a cheering read.” – Booklist “Center has hit a home run with Get Lucky . . . There is no other author out there who does women’s fiction better.” – Wendy Robards, book […]

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free LUCK for everybody

So we had the book launch party for Get Lucky on Saturday. I really wasn’t sure how many people would show up, but I knew it would be a fun time.  Especially since I’d be reading the first chapter of the book, which is pretty feisty. The opening paragraph is all about how the main […]

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the beautiful salad my kids did not eat

Dear Jamie Oliver, I am enjoying your show. And while I may never truly recover from watching you make a chicken nugget by putting a carcass in a food processor, bones and all, and then squeezing the goo through a strainer–I do feel like sharing that moment with you somehow made me a better person. […]

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radio interview

I had such a fun time this morning talking with Christopher Gabriel on his radio program at WDAY in Fargo, North Dakota. Of course, I wasn’t in Fargo.  I was home, in my pajamas.  As all writers should be at all times. We had a great chat, and I found myself thinking, afterwards, about how […]

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