Technically, it’s a collection of poems by Mary Oliver. The poems made an enormous impact on me. When one of the poems started with the line “You do not have to be good…” I knew the poem was written for: 1) old-school Catholics, 2) dutiful daughters, and 3) me.

“The Subterraneans” by Jack Kerouac. You couldn’t live in San Francisco in the 1980s and not feel the ghosts of the Beat Generation. I lived up the hill from North Beach and spent a lot of time at the Caffe Trieste imagining a jazz trio playing as poetry was being spoken. The book is a stream-of-consciousness dream. You need to be in the right mood but if you are in that mood, it’s a great afternoon read.

I ordered this wonderful poster that shows where some of my favorite television shows are located. Notice “Dr. Who” is in the Ocean.

Though I have been a Sci-Fi fan my entire life, starting with the original “Star Trek,” I had never heard of WorldCon, an annual Sci-Fi convention with a 76-year old history. A sci-fi event that’s that old made me laugh. I’m not sure why since writers have been making up stories about what’s to come I believe since Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein (published in 1818). So it was something special to sign books at the convention at the PR specialists Black Chateau table.

Okay, Maria and I don't have podcast episodes in the can yet. We still need to pick up a mixer and mics but we are getting closer. We have rundowns of 2 episodes, a logo we like and a tag line. Thought you would enjoy the tag line process. Maria and I are both experienced producers and a log line or tag line is the best way to gage if you have a show idea or not. If you can't describe what your show is (or book for that matter) in a few lines, it's not a show (or a book). Mar

Here is the next iteration of the British mystery fan podcast “Bloody Good” logo based on the terrific feedback from my friends and colleagues from Linked In. It was suggested that one of the “Os” be turned into a monocle. My podcast partner, Maria Notaras, and I both loved that idea. There’s a funny backstory to the monocle. Maria hates that my bitmoji avatar has a monocle so it’s fitting, and hilarious, that podcast logo actually needs a monocle. It will amuse and drive Mar

#1: “Wolf Hall,” by Hillary Mantel, is the most evocative book I have ever read. The writing is gorgeous. It shimmers on the page. Living inside Thomas Cromwell’s head during the reign of King Henry VIII is a fascinating place to be. I was lost when I first started reading “Wolf Hall” because there are a lot of Thomases and many of the historic figures have multiple nicknames. I almost gave up on it. I was sitting at my favorite café, Little Flower in Pasadena, peering at the

Those are the words that appear on the back cover of “Baker’s Dozen.” I wish I’d written those clever words but, luckily for me, I hired a talented friend to design the cover. Barbara Lebow is a creative director from the Mad Men world of advertising. I knew I picked a great cover designer but I got a bonus since Barbara’s years in advertising honed her quick wit. Mystery. Mistaken Identity. Burnt Cookies. Makes me laugh ever time.

You can’t enjoy a witty and mildly gruesome British mystery show without devouring “Midsomer Murder.” There’s something like 116 episodes. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) retired for goodness sake. But, I like the cousin who took over, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and his investigation team, especially since Dudgeon was in an episode. The cheekiness of it all. Since it’s a juggernaut of a show, I was curious about “Midsomer Murders” fan fiction. So far, I’ve found a book ab