David Frum does a tongue-in-cheek interview with his wife, Danielle Crittenden, whose new book is coming out soon. I read the book in its first form when the WSJ serialized it. The last bit came out immediately after 9-11, I think, and I wondered what had become of plans to publish it. I read it very much as I read Bud MacFarlane's Pierced by a Sword; that is, constantly irritated by two contradictory responses: 1) the writing here is really bad; 2) I like the characters anyway. Frankly, I was amazed to hear that anyone would publish Crittenden's novel (Frum does note that it has been revised). The writing was wooden (probably worse than MacFarlane's, come to think of it), the maternal whining stupefying sometimes (rather like those insufferable entries I pour out here when my son is sick), but it did make me think, "If she can get this published, then why can't ...". Maybe someday. Research first. That is, if the demonic dissertating does not suck out all my creative life-blood. (Those of you trained to read critically will note the clever connection of the life-blood metaphor with the musings on Buffy below ...)