about me

Write about myself? This is something I have successfully avoided doing most of my life! However.

I was raised in mid-town Manhattan. By writers. Writing was the sole source of income for the household; surrounding us, as far as my eye could see, were other homes where creativity on deadline paid the rent. This introduced me early to the business, the uncertainties, the varied terrors, and the bedrock integrity involved in choosing a life in the arts.

I did not choose a life in the arts. I did not choose a life of any kind, anywhere. For many years, I floundered. I felt I must be a writer, because my talent, and people who recognized it, told me so. But I had nothing of value to say, and knew it. My parents were disappointed. I held my ground.

In high school, I began to teach myself Russian. Studying Russian was sufficiently absorbing that I had no time to consider writing - a relief. I eventually became a 'professional exchange student', then a small time Russian translator and interpreter. And through a position translating for a refugee resettlement agency...I was sent to social work school. Finally, an occupation! I was nearly 40 years old.

So: I am now a clinical social worker and psychotherapist. Sub-specialty: Treatment of ... writers. And others in the arts.

After 9/11, I suddenly became an un-blocked writer. And began the novel posted on this site: Last Days of the Transitional Objects Institute. The book is something of a genre-bender, and has been very difficult to market. That is, it exhausted one very good agent, who faithfully slogged with me for the better part of three years. Several editors at very fine houses loved the book. Time and again it was pelted off the boardroom table by bean counters - presumably, with real beans. My favorite rejection letter: "Please let us know when it comes out so we can all go out and buy a copy."
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Update, May 2010. I have been away from authonomy for two months ... Life has been having its way with me, leaving me low on energy and short on time. Moreover, authonomy had become an utterly exhausting enterprise (even without any mania to hit the top ten). But I found myself missing this place; I'm back. With a new reading and backing policy scaled to what I can actually accomplish.

I'm reading for pleasure. I will back any book that I feel is ready (or nearly ready) to be looked at by a semi-competent editor. This seems a logical criterion: the objective for most here is to get to 'The Editor's Desk'. Any book in the top 150 should be reasonably polished and shapely.

Given time, I will try to comment thoughtfully on any book I back. Given even more time, I will try to make helpful suggestions on books I feel are not ready to be backed. Given these restrictions, I may not be backing many books - but do try me. And if you find my book worthy, I will be thrilled if you back it.

Hope this makes sense to people.

favourite books

This is a tough one. Off the top of my head:

Paul Bowles - nothing he's written fails to strike awe. A master. Currently, I am reading the stories.
Diary of a Nobody - George and Weedon Grossmith
Fludd - Hilary Mantel
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman
We Need to Talk about Kevin - Lionel Shriver
A Reader's Manifesto - B.R. Meyers
The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
Дай Мне! - Е. Денежкина

my websites