Sylvia Dickey Smith

Joni Cole , author of Another Bad Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior, joins us today to talk about her book and her approach to writing strong women. She also taught writing for years, and has a book out for writers (Toxic Feedback: Helping Writers Survive and Thrive). About writing strong women, Joni says: "I write strong women because they're the most interesting! But of course even the strongest women have quirks, flaws, insecurities, and neuroses. Those are the things that often test their strength, sometimes as much as external challenges. In my book of personal essays "Another Bad Dog Book: Tales of Life, Love, and Neurotic Human Behavior" I write about times when I find myself in funny but also heartfelt situations--dealing with issues related to my aging parents, losing a best friend to suicide,  feeling insecure as a writer or parent. But in each essay, I don't just outline the struggles inherent in these difficult situations, but also the opportunities for insight and triumph