Earlier this morning, my dear friend Marylyn and I were texting about sneaking in sweet treats while riding on public transportation, and it reminded me of an old favorite I just can’t find here. True, there are lots of mainland specialties sold on my island in the middle of the Pacific, but there’s a very limited market share for the prune danishes I used to devour on the PATH train when I commuted to New Jersey. Prune danishes! I read that one of my heroines, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, likes to nibble on prunes when she’s reading. But they’re not quite as scrumptious as my elusive...

Uncommonly uncoordinated, I have immense admiration for the women upstairs at the gym who contort themselves in unimaginable stretches, as I meekly press forward on machines. I’m racing against time with uncooperative muscles that won’t get me on a train I could miss. Lately, I’ve developed a curious habit of trying to guess how old these athletic apprentices are. One woman who looks like she could easily join the Rockettes or at least pass the entrance exam, told me she was 25. Ah, to be 25 again. But even when I was 25 and joined the tennis crowd high in the sky in New York, I...

Such a pretty face with almost perfect blonde braids past her shoulders and blue eyes that disclosed her intelligence immediately. Self-contained to the max, or call it polite if you prefer — she listened quietly as I chatted with her grandmother about how wonderful tankinis were, pointing out that bikinis were rapidly becoming endangered species. Back when I turned 30, I’d stopped wearing bikinis  — I knew it was time to step up to a new decade, and my hair was cut to a just above the shoulders bob and my middle part was moved to the left. Now I’ll tell you all about my new...

Have I mentioned anything about our koi pond before? It’s so pretty– right next to our front door. When we moved in two years/eight months/seven days ago, there were two rather neglected goldfish floating absentmindedly in a pond fit for a prince or two.  A week later, Bill brought home two lively goldfish-like animals to spice things up, and then after considerable ogling, we chose our first-time-ever baby kois.  Kois!  Very smart fish who answer to their names and make us smile each time we look at them.  Bill has fed them diligently and I’ve called their names lovingly, every...

Whenever I start a new romantic comedy, I allow at least a week or so to concoct my characters’ names.  (Exception: Elliot Recounte, my male lead in “Much Ado at the Mauna Kea,” cooked and cooked throughout the summer of  2014.) Meanwhile, I’ve just revised my working title to: “Mostly When I See A Rolls Royce,” (previously: Mostly When I See Rolls Royces.) I’ve wanted to write this story since 1979 — it’s my first enhanced roman a clef! Set in NYC and surroundings. Late 70’s. Locations: East Hampton beach house smack on the ocean Two...