I spokeon a panel a few weeks ago at the Bay Area Book Festival. The panel was moderatedbylocal literary icon,Michelle Tea. (If you need an escape, her latest book, “How to Grow Up” will make you laugh out loud.)

The authors on the panelrepresenteda range ofgenres (from children’s books to literary fiction tonon-fiction) but we all had twothings in common: love for our kids, and a burning desireto write.

Most of us had never met until right before we tookthe stage, but that didn’t stop us fro...