Life Changing Experiences between the Covers of a Book
This week I had a showdown with a tooth possessing a crooked root and no remorse. Tooth and I were slated, with no other possibilities, for a date with my friendly, skillful dentist, whose news was destined to unmake my day. I put off the trip for two months, conveniently sick the first time, conveniently…
Read MoreCHUSday Giveaway from Barnes and Noble
Welcome to the final month of CHUSday. To end with a bang this month, I’m giving away a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble bookstores instead of a silly kitchen gadget. That way you can indulge your cookbook fantasies or take the CHU pledge and use the ones you have and buy something yummy to…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: No Unsacred Places
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. Today’s poem by Wendell Berry comes just as our December holidays begin. How To Be a Poet is as much about a contemplative life of appreciation and connection as it is about poetry. While…
Read MoreBook Groups and Reader Questions: Whose Life Do We Want to Discuss?
Several weeks ago my editor made a simple, logical request. Please come up with reader discussion questions for the back of my next novel, One Mountain Away, which debuts in August. One Mountain Away is the first book in a new series, Goddesses Anonymous, and centers around issues readers might want to talk about in…
Read MoreCHUSday and a Pro Gives Us Tips
Today Mollie Cox Bryan, author of Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Southern Pies (which Wanda covets) and Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant Cookbook, is joining us to share some of her kitchen tips. Mrs. Rowe’s is a wonderful Southern-style restaurant in Staunton, VA, that I visit every time I’m down that way, so it was a treat for…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: Stained by her Girlhood’s Gravy
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here. Did you have enough of family this week? If you live in the U.S., did you spend the Thanksgiving holiday with relatives you rarely see and who are determined each year to prove you have nothing…
Read MoreRaise The Song Of Harvest Home
O Lord that lends me life, Lend me a heart replete with thankfulness! ~ William Shakespeare We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but…
Read MoreCHUsday and the Cooking is Easy
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I know there’s lots of cooking going on out there this week. In fact some of you have already cooked and eaten your holiday feasts. But for those of us who still have cooking to do, I asked my Facebook Page friends to help today. They came up with great tips for all…
Read MoreSunday Poetry: With Starry Silences
Welcome to Sunday Poetry. If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday blogs here. Searching for Thanksgiving poems to share with you, I discarded a number. Some wandered through territory I didn’t want to travel. Others made me wonder whether the poet was grateful for anything and if…
Read MoreReality Shows: The Art of Entertainment?
Get out your #2 pencils, class. Pop quiz today. What television network began in 1984, envisioning itself as a commercial alternative to PBS? What television network commissioned double Emmy winner Horatio Hornblower and produced outstanding classics such as as Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and The Great Gatsby? What television network claims that last year,…
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