Some reviews of "Treading Water"

Thank you for all the positive feedback on my book, "Treading Water." I am working on releasing a Kindle Single this summer featuring some of my previously published short stories — maybe a horror piece or two!

Some quotes from reviews of "Treading Water".

"An enjoyable read!" Natalie K. on Goodreads (with 4 stars).

"Quite funny and a blast from the past."  - Dorothy, Pittsburgh, PA

“When Braman starts to talk about Carol, I start to feel the book. I start to hear its voice and understand why she wanted to write it. All of us want to be heard; we want to find a way to make sense of the mental chatter that has the power to keep us up at night and to convince us of what people must be thinking." - Kat Kiddles, Uncustomary Book Review

My mid century kitchen

Smashing Cans Comes to iPod/iPad

 No matter how old your children get, there are always opportunities to be the proud momma. For example, when your oldest attains a PsyD, your middle child becomes a wonderful mother, and your youngest releases his first iPhone app. And of course as the proud momma you can't wait to brag to all your friends and blog readers. So, tonight let me take the chance to point you to "Smashing Cans," a fun, addictive new game for iPod and iPad!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smashing-cans/id525475437?mt=8#

and on facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SmashingCans

Teleseminar for Laughter Yoga Leaders

My latest Laughter Yoga column:  

http://www.examiner.com/article/good-news-and-bad-news-a-laughter-yoga-business-teleseminar

2012 Design Salary Infographic

Find design jobs and careers at HOW Design.

The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another page-turner, this one deals with eugenics, old threats with new technology, and plenty of monsters, including the most frightening - the human. The mountains of gore and detailed description of fighting maneuvers are a bit too intense for me, however, the storyline keeps me reading, and I am already looking for the next one. I am not happy about all the outcomes, killing off the sole strong female broke my heart. I so wanted her to live and give us female readers someone to identify with. And the other thing that I didn't like ( and believe me, I've had this issue in my own books) was the high amount of errors - some of which really confused me. For example, in one instance, a character called Eighty-Two is suddenly referred to as Eighty-Six, making me think another clone had entered the storyline. Nonetheless, a fun read with some pretty heavy subtext.


View all my reviews

Note to TIME: Motherhood is a hard enough job

The June 2012 cover of TIME Magazine has accomplished its goal. It has elicited intense reactions and spawned editorials, Facebook and Twitter postings, and at least one parody on The Daily Show. The model has been roundly criticized for posing for the photo, especially since it includes her fully recognizable 3-yr old son. The hostile, challenging, headline,  “Are You Mom Enough?” is like an arrow to the heart of contemporary mothers.

I hate the fact that I am commenting on this cover, giving it even more exposure. But what I hate even more is the way this image disrespects all mothers, no matter what their parenting style. Yes, this mother is an advocate of prolonged nursing. Does this photo accurately portray how she regularly nurses her 3-year old?  I hope not. It appears to be nothing but a staged image, arranged to make both the mother and son look bizarre — and controversial. It reminds me of the videos of (you know who it was) allowing her son to eat directly out of her mouth. Both are disturbing and both are being used to sensationalize parenting trends that at worst, have yet to be proven effective (and might might actually be harmful), and at best, are not for everyone.

I hate that, whatever the article says about attachment parenting, this image will forever be associated with it. I hate that it will polarize mothers rather than bring them together for healthy discussion. And I hate, most of all, that more pressing issues, such as prenatal care for mothers without health insurance, child care for the working poor and the availability of jobs at salaries that can actually support families, are being overshadowed.

Motherhood is a hard enough job without this.