I grew up in the 1950s and '60s. As a child, I read voraciously—mostly books of short stories. When I wasn’t doing that, I lived in a fantasy world where I was pretty and popular—rather than the little girl that everyone made fun of. I think I was about ten when I realized that I was creating my own stories in my head … and that I could write them down! After that, I wrote voraciously—mostly short stories. As a teenager, I wrote poetry and cried a lot.My older brother was the result of a rape—which probably wasn’t even a word back in the 1930’s, when he was born. Back then, it was the woman’s fault for letting it happen. “dirty little stories” is a memoir of growing up in poverty and shame, with a mother who had been broken by life—but who was incredibly funny, despite all of that.I feel my story needs to be told—for my mother, who lived her life feeling less-than because of what had been done to her … for my brother, who felt less-than because he had never been wanted ... and for anyone who knows what it's like to cry themselves to sleep at night, as I did.Read more about this authorRead less about this author