The first of "The Last Noel"

I started this blog to get stuff out about my writing, namely the frustrations of trying to get a draft done of my third novel. It's tentatively called "Boy with Bleeding Hands." "Boy" is about a child blessed (or cursed) with the stigmata. Does he have this holy condition or does the child have hemophilia, a rare blood disorder. At this point, I don't know what the kcuf is going on with this story.

I have about 50 very rough pages. I don't want to look at the book right now. The only thing I'm writing is nonfiction. I recently wrote an article for Arts and Understanding Magazine, America's AIDS Magazine. The article is about efforts to remember writer Paul Monette, a man whose book "Becoming a Man" ripped me apart. Writers Terry Wolverton, Betty Berzon, and Mark Thompson weighed in on the event.

Last week, Bret Easton Ellis came to the Skylight bookstore. I host literary events there. The store was packed! There wasn't enough room in the store for all his fans. It was a mad house. Bret EE was just the nicest guy. I honestly was surprised. I thought he'd be a prick, but he was the complete opposite. I must confess that I sensed something was sad about him.

I googled Bret EE and discovered that his "friend" died last year at the age of thirty. Maybe that's why he seemed rather melancholy.