Recently, I was a guest on the Straight from the Hip podcast, hosted by Dr. Pablo Casteñeda, the Chairman and Medical Director of the International Hip Dysplasia Institute.

We talked about the first book I wrote years ago The Parents’ Guide to Hip Dysplasia, what it’s like to have ongoing hip problems, and why I’m writing a new book Hip Replacement at Any Age.

The podcast episode is Betsy Miller & the lived and shared experience, March 16, 2026.

If you’re interested in updates about my next book, join the Thinking Ink Press email list at thinkinginkpress.com/thr

I’m still in the writing stage, but we plan to publish Hip Replacement at Any Age at Thinking Ink Press when the manuscript is done.

I’ve made good progress on writing this book. It’s starting to solidify more. One of the places I work on it is at a Shut Up and Write meetup in Auburn on Saturdays.
This past weekend, I printed out the entire book and brought the pages with me in a binder clip—you know one of those black metal clasps? 

​Two of the other writers who were sitting at the table with me said they always worry that the pages will come undone and fly all over the place if they carry a manuscript that way instead of putting it inside a binder. 
I never worry about that. What I like about using a clip is that I can separate the pages if I want to as I read and mark up the pages. Very old school, right? But sometimes I like working this way because I’m not distracted by any incoming messages on a computer or the lure of the internet. 
We talked about that image of pages flying around and I remembered seeing that in the movie Please Stand By (Dakota Fanning), and someone else said they’d seen that in the movie Love Actually, and maybe that’s where their worry originated. It’s a very cinematic image—pages sailing around while someone is scrambling to catch them. 
So, anyway best wishes to all you writers out there—here’s hoping that none of your pages escape!

When I travel, I love to visit bookstores! 📚 💖 
So, when I was up in Seattle for Worldcon (a sci fi/fantasy convention) in August, I went to Elliot Bay Book Company with my friends Beth and Marion. They were also visiting Seattle and going to Worldcon, but we agreed it would be a good idea to explore a little outside of the convention center. 
I didn't take pictures. I don't always remember to do that when I'm having fun, which we all did! The bookstore is great and we had a delicious lunch just up the street. 
Anyway, I browsed around the bookstore, which has lots of staff picks (one of my favorite things), and bought a signed copy of Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest. Since it's a fantasy novel and she is a local author, that seemed a good choice. I started reading it on my flight home, and finished it soon after. It's a fun read, set in Seattle, and there's even a scene in it that happens at Elliot Bay Book Company! It was the perfect combination to finish my trip. 
Like I said, I didn't take pictures, but I do have the book, so here it is with the bookmark from the store!
Happy reading to all my friends who read for fun! ​📚 💖 

For those who don't know, my working title for this book is Hip Replacement at Any Age:
Complicated hips and unexpected problems
​My idea is to write a book about hip replacement and the issues surrounding it that will be a little different from the books that are already out there. My focus is on the experiences of being a patient, especially for those who have an ongoing hip problem. 
It's a big project writing a book like this, but I like to write and I feel better about tackling this subject than I did years ago, so my goal is to finish a complete manuscript with illustrations that will ultimately get published.
I recently got legal permission from the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) to use three of their illustrations, which is great! One image turned out to be too low resolution to be suitable for print reproduction, but the other two will look good.  
So, that's my update for today!
Happy writing to all my writing friends. 📝

The Publishing Professionals Network (PPN) Conference is 
Friday, April 25, 2025, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm in Berkeley. Here's the link: pubpronetwork.org/con2025-main/

If you're going to the conference, check out Panel 1A: Audacious and Subversive: Impact Strategies from Indie Publishers.

​I'll be there talking about crowdfunding and other ideas for small publishers to try besides selling in traditional bookstores. Liza Olmsted from Thinking Ink Press will be sharing thoughts and experiences on neurodiversity, and there will be other indie publishers on this panel as well. 

Thank you, Johanna Vondeling, for inviting me to be a part of this panel!

I'm looking forward to connecting with other indie publishers! 💖📚💖


​

I circled back to this nonfiction book idea, and I'm really happy with how the writing is going!

The working title for my book is:
Hip Replacement at Any Age: Complicated Hips and Unexpected Problems

​In the past, I've been asked to write a book about hip replacement by a publisher and also by a nonprofit. I soon discovered that trying to write this book made me feel sad and sometimes angry about my own hip issues. I couldn't get enough distance and I struggled with the tone. So, I set it aside to write other things. For years. 

There already are books and info about hip replacement that focus on the best-case outcome for retired people. I get it, those are useful books. But they made me feel worse. My situation is complicated due to residual hip dysplasia. I waited 15 years to get a hip replacement and when I finally did, the recovery was hard, and I still have lingering issues that can't be completely solved due to my bone structure. 

My book will be different because my perspective is different. I'm not an MD. I'm not a person who got a hip replacement and hiked to the top of a mountain. I'm writing the book I wish had existed when I was feeling like the only person in the world who didn't fit the mainstream narrative about hip replacement. 

And best of all, I feel happy as I'm writing it!

When I'm writing a book, I sometimes create a detailed table of contents, print it out, and then mark it up. Here's a page from my outline with notes in case anyone's curious. ​Yes, I write with a purple pen! 💜

A new sci fi anthology is now available from Thinking Ink Press. It's a fun read with a variety of short stories, plus some poems and even some art. ​

​The Neurodiversiverse is a diverse, hopeful anthology of neurodiversity-themed science fiction short stories, poetry and art for anyone who loves science fiction, who cares about neurodiversity, or who wants to see optimistic visions of the future.

You can get The Neurodiversiverse in the format of your choice directly from Thinking Ink Press or at your retailer of choice. 

Check it out--I hope you enjoy it!

Here’s a link to July Issue 89 of Kaleidoscope Magazine, Ebbs and Flows. You can download it for free and read my flash fiction short story "Bees" along with many other stories and essays. https://www.udsakron.org/ebbs-and-flows/
I'm happy to know that "Bees" is reaching new readers. It's about OCD in teens.