not all bad, considering I named my lead for you, Allyson.

Awwwww. Does she have a zit the size of Omaha on her left cheek? Because I do. Ouch.

But I wanted to grow up and be the poor man's Molly Ivins.

Apparently, I'm the poor man's Florence King.

You can still be the poor man's Molly Ivins.

The poor need good reading, too.

I call poor man's Lorrie Moore.

People have compared my writing to hers sometimes, but apart from a certain shared pleasure in wordplay, don't see it...and I hope that doesn't sound vain because the writers that said that were my friends, and trying to tell me I'm funny.

Yeah, I really don't see much Mooreness in your writing either. Not in a bad way, of course. You have different styles entirely. But she's a wicked punstress.

And of course, she is on my turf in "People Like That Are The Only People Here"ETA: And we both do the puns, sometimes. I think maybe if I'd not gotten re-genrefied over the last few years that might be more true. But rediscovering the taste for murder and mayhem sort of killed my sensitive college stories. I found the novel I wrote at age 20 last week....it's a jumpcutting Maupin fic at heart, with NO transitions. But I could tell I had no chops so I didn't finish. Anyone want to point and laugh? I could send it to you. I hope I'm better now!

I don't think I knew you were a Moore fan. I'm going to send you my Moore ripoff/homage.

Why not, you've seen my Simon and Chandler ones. Interesting, us stealing...um, homaging, outside gender lines...what does it all mean?

I don't know that I consider anyone here a poor man's anything.

I sure as hell don't consider myself one, either.

I'm not sure that I do either, Deb. It was just a figure of speech, since no matter what, I can't *be* Miz Molly. And thank God she's not done yet, anyway.ETA: Insent for the Spectral Bovine.

I want to be the rich man's Connie Neil, and have them give me obscene advances and movie deals.

Dream big.