Sunday Poetry: Later There Was Sleet
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. When I chose this poem early in the month I knew we were expecting snow that weekend, perhaps as much as an inch, but it never materialized. We’ve had a sprinkling or two in Northern Virginia…
Read MoreCan We Judge A Book By Its Cover?
Early in my writing career I grabbed every novel I could find in the series romance genre to get a feel for what authors were writing and publishers were buying. I remember one in particular. The novel was charming, the cover was so truly horrific that I kept going back to look at it as I…
Read MoreLists: I Love You Because. . .
Happy Saint Valentine’s Day. Did you know today’s holiday became popular during Chaucer’s time? The real “Valentine” is obscured in legend, based on the lives of two Catholic saints, although the stories of neither hint at romance. But the world loves lovers, and in the 14th century, historical facts were stretched and altered. Now, of course, we celebrate romance…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: Curved Close and Warm
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. Valentine’s day is fast approaching, and this poem recently graced my mailbox, to remind me of the beauty of two people in love. On Tuesday I’ll start a list especially for the holiday, but…
Read MorePinterest: Pinning Your Hopes on the Internet
The Fear Factor Another new toy on the Internet? Yikes. The first time I visited Pinterest.com, I knew better than to stay. Pinterest is the definition of a detour on the highway of life. All those gorgeous images? I knew I could lose my way for hours. It was time to pack up and go…
Read MoreAuthor Mollie Cox Bryan and Scrapbook of Secrets
When a new mystery novelist contacted me months ago and told me she was from the Shenandoah Valley and the author of pie cookbooks, I was intrigued. She asked me to read the first mystery in her new series, Cumberland Creek Mysteries, from Kensington, to give her a cover quote, and I agreed. After all, both…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: A Burning Light
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. I fell in love with this poem and poet immediately. The poem is short, but it packs a large punch. I found Boarding House after first finding Ted Kooser through another poem on the…
Read MoreWords and the Way We Use Them
Sometimes we stumble into history. My husband and I did exactly that last week when we chose to visit Mt. Dora, Florida. Little did we know that Newt Gingrich was planning a visit, too. The Florida Republican primaries were in full swing, and so was the Gingrich entourage. As we ate breakfast on the porch…
Read MoreAmazing Grace
Florida. What’s not to love about my home state in January? Last Monday I stepped off a plane in Orlando and saw palm trees and sunshine, not to mention a host of children sporting mouse ears. It was home-like if not exactly home. Disney was still quietly buying up orange groves when I spent two…
Read MoreWork in Progress
This isn’t a blog about the newest book-in-progress, although there will be plenty of those coming up. No, this is a blog about the lack of a blog today. Or if this isn’t a blog, at least it’s an announcement. Tune in tomorrow instead, when I will have (mostly) recovered from my travels through Florida looking…
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