by AnnSheybani | Feb 1, 2026 | Writing
Sometime back in May, Walt got it in his head that we should renovate our kitchen. Now, I should mention we’d bought this house sight unseen during the pandemic—intended as a home base for our trips back from Ireland, with Airbnb covering the mortgage the rest...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 26, 2026 | Reading, Writing
People sometimes ask me what it’s like to run a hybrid publishing house. The short answer? It’s like being a professional eavesdropper who gets paid to learn everyone’s secrets—except the secrets are actually really fascinating expertise, and instead...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 18, 2026 | Life
We once had a dog named Edgar whose whole raison d’etre was to kick cat ass. Unfortunately, we also had two cats: Peanut Butter and Mozart. Peanut Butter was a cat-hater’s cat. He had all the swagger of John Wayne, and the cool detachment of Humphrey Bogart. Tail up,...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 11, 2026 | Writing
Maybe you’ve heard it said that most readers never get beyond the first twelve pages of a book, particularly if it’s non-fiction. This supposed tendency is what drives the billion-dollar write-a-book-in-a-weekend industry. Become a published author. Have a book to...
by AnnSheybani | Jan 5, 2026 | Life, Writing
I’m sitting here this morning listening to Walt in the other room. He’s on a Zoom call with one of his clients, and apparently the guy is reluctant to try something new. He wants to cling to his old business habits because, as my mother used to say,...
