Pictures of You

Pictures of You began from a phobia.  My dirty little secret is I don't drive.  Oh, I have my license (all I had to do to get it was to drive around the block), but I'm anxious around cars. The novel began with an image of a crash, and I found myself giving my phobia to Isabelle, one of the characters.  Of course, it being fiction, I made things much worse for her! While she was working through her phobia, yet another piece of my past intruded: my childhood asthma, something I wanted to revisit as much as I wanted to have root canal without novocaine. But the character of asthmatic little Sam persisted, and by giving him compassion, I healed my own shame about my past--and I actually felt better for the four years it took me to write the book! A San Francisco Editor's Choice Lit Pick, Pictures of You is now out in the world.  I hope you'll read it. 

New York Times Bestseller USA Today e-book Bestseller Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Best Books of 2011 Providence Journal Best Ten Books of 2011 List Kirkus Reviews Best Five Books on Family and Love in 2011 Bookmarks Magazine Best Books of 2011 Costco "Pennie's Pick"