Sunday Inspiration: Kindness
Most people, as they age, become less selfish and more loving… Since…your life is going to be a gradual process of becoming kinder and more loving: Hurry up, Speed it along. Start right now. There’s a confusion in each of us, a sickness, really: selfishness. But there is also a cure. So be a good…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Kangaroos, Koalas and Wallabies
Welcome to Fiction Friday, a chance to share snippets of my books with you. Some are old, some might be books in progress, eventually some may be entirely new content. Today’s excerpt is from the fourth and final book of my Tales of the Pacific series, which was originally issued in 1988-89, and tells the story…
Read MoreThe Write Way: Finding Ideas for your Novel
I’m sitting at my desk in my new writing home. I wish I could tell you it’s the perfect study, soundproof, light-filled, roomy enough for all my books and research material but not the least bit barny. Actually this room is light-filled, because I’m working in the glassed-in porch of our old, old cottage in…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: The Dismantling of Barriers
“Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. ‘Be compassionate as God is compassionate,’ means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.” I heard Father Greg Boyle speak this week, and I was deeply moved and…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Opal Dreams and Barroom Brawls
Welcome to Fiction Friday, a chance for me to share bits of novels written or novels in progress. I spent much of the past month editing my Tales of the Pacific series written in the late 1980s so I could reissue each of the four as ebooks. For the past two Fridays I’ve introduced you…
Read MoreAgendas in Fiction. Really?
I always enjoy receiving email or letters from my readers. But a recent email really made me stop and think. Not so much because the questions were particularly disturbing, but because of the message behind them. Here’s how the email ended: Does your publishing company encourage a certain style of writing? A certain viewpoint? Do most…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: “Happiness comes from giving…”
Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also. To get joy, we must give it, and to keep joy, we must scatter it. ~John Templeton (November 29, 1912 – July 8, 2008) was an American-born British stock investor, businessman and…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Tough Guys and Sophisticated Women?
Welcome to Fiction Friday. I can see it’s going to be lots of fun finding excerpts for you to enjoy from books I’ve written. Clearly the four ebooks I’ve recently put on line are the ones on my mind and therefore the ones I’ll be sharing with you for a while. This is an excerpt…
Read MoreWho Doesn’t Love Bargain Books?
At last I can tell you more about the promotion for From Glowing Embers that I mentioned in my last blog. You might have noticed (did you?) that I didn’t ply you with links as I introduced my newest ebook. That’s because I knew you might want to buy it as part of this wonderful…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: A Greater Appreciation
Our painful experiences strengthen us in becoming more empathetic, more caring, and deeper human beings. We grow in depth of understanding, with greater appreciation for the miracle of life. ~ Alexandra Stoddard This quote resonated for me because it’s a major theme of my books, especially Somewhere Between Luck and Trust. I can look back at…
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