Posts By: MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.

The Art of Friendship

posted on 06/28/2013

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I got back late yesterday from a much-needed summer break. One of my nearest and dearest girlfriends, who now lives in another state, managed to organize a couple of kid-free days for the two of us in Asheville, North Carolina. It was rejuvenating in so many ways. Among other things, we sampled some delicious food, […]

Go Ahead, Check Your Pockets

posted on 05/08/2013

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Last night I was having a great conversation with a good friend of mine, who is a former counselor like me, while we walked around the trails at a nearby park. It was a beautiful evening with air that seemed ripe for personal discovery and revelation. Or at least a picnic dinner and pick-up soccer. […]

Letter to the Me of 1993

posted on 04/30/2013

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My 20 year high school reunion is coming up this year; and predictably, it has me thinking about what I’ve learned in the last two decades, and wondering how my life might have been different if I’d known then what I know now. (Equally interesting would be if I knew now what I’ve forgotten since […]

My Three-Year-Old, In a Nutshell

posted on 03/21/2013

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We let Monkey stay up a little late tonight and snuggle between us on the bed for some Antiques Road Show. It was one of those rare quiet moments in which he is so happy for the special treatment that he actually behaves himself for a bit, like he’s testing out the icy pond to […]

Darkness and Light: The Suicide Blog

posted on 01/16/2013

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My mother, who died in 2001, would have been 65 years old this past Sunday. I say died because that’s what happened to her. She didn’t ‘pass away’ as people are so fond of saying, as when an elderly person drifts off to peaceful sleep and simply doesn’t awaken. Most people in my life know […]

November Lessons

posted on 12/03/2012

November was a wild month at M.J.’s playhouse, and I’m still playing catch-up, so this month’s lessons will be short and sweet: 1. When you’re faced with doing unpleasant ‘business’ involving close friends or family, sometimes the less said, the better. Stick to the facts and give everyone space to process emotionality elsewhere (maybe not […]

Do Me a Favor: If You See Me at the Playground, Treat Me Like a Man

posted on 11/14/2012

Last night the hubs and I cashed in a date night and went to the MJCCA book festival ‘parenting edition’ with Dan Zevin and two of the four Sh*tty Moms. It was a fun evening, commiserating about the challenges of parenting young children in funny and irreverent ways. With two children in a Jewish preschool, […]

Fat Girl’s Halloween Oath

posted on 10/29/2012

My Little Pumpkins: So delicious they’re a little concerned Mommy will eat them. I love Halloween. It’s an enchanted time, when people temporarily cast aside social propriety, modest clothing and resistance to the supernatural. It’s a time to embrace one’s inner witch or warlock, feline familiar, or slutty cab driver. Time to go nuts with […]

Pirate Talk, My Dad’s Birthday and How I’m Not Special

posted on 09/19/2012

Aaargh! Thanks for droppin’ anchor at me swashbucklin’ blog, matie! Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! I always thought it was funny that International Talk Like a Pirate Day fell on my father’s birthday. He never saw the humor in it, but if you knew my Dad, you know that overt silliness wasn’t really his […]

Sock Puppets and Ethics

posted on 09/06/2012

It’s funny how things collide sometimes. Lately I’ve been giving a good bit of thought not just to writing, but to the business of being a writer. I’ve realized (get ready to point and laugh at someone with too much education and too little common sense) that if I want my books to be really […]