Libraries, One of the Wonders of the World
Imagine this, if you can. A special place people visit just because they want to learn more about their favorite subject. Imagine this. A special place where, for nothing more than the moments spent filling out a form, wonderful books are handed over to take home, read and enjoy. And when they’re returned, more take…
Read MoreHappiness is a Sunny Day and Cherry Blossoms
I bet that you have a festival in your hometown, some time during the year when you celebrate just for the fun of it with your friends and neighbors. This year, why not take the time to go? If it’s Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Buzzard Day in Hinckley, Ohio, turn off the computer…
Read MoreHappiness Blogs
What makes you happy? I mean really happy. The kind of happy when you can’t stop smiling, when tiny twittering bluebirds seem to have taken up residence inside you, when you lie awake at night and count your blessings instead of the things you forgot to do and aren’t sure you’ll have time for tomorrow. Happy!…
Read MoreFinding Your Voice
Never having owned a beagle, when people asked if puppy Nemo had found his voice, I found the question odd. Yes, Nemo growled, and barked–or something that passed for one. And sometimes, Nemo even howled. This last was charming, a serenade similar to the one our Australian Shepherd used to warble when he sang along at birthday parties. Then…
Read MoreNo Cause for Alarm
“Tomorrow March 25 between 9:30 and noon, CBS Paramount pictures will be filming a TV scene on the Potomac River near the Key Bridge in which special effects (loud noise and fire) will simulate a small water vessel being blown up. This will be a heavily monitored and controlled event lasting only a few seconds. …
Read MoreA Real Book?
At what moment does a book become real to its author? Tonight, surfing the Internet, I saw my upcoming July book, Happiness Key, on Shelfari, the cover bright and sunny, smiling happily at me from my computer screen. I moved to Amazon, and there it was again. My baby. Soon for sale. Too cool.
Read MoreHodgepodge and Spam: But not a recipe
I absolutely promise to be insightful at a later moment. I’ll be witty and profound, as well–as soon as I remember how. But in the meantime, a few announcements. Please, bear with me. First, on the beauties of having a Facebook page. The moment I thought I’d figured out how to use this wonderful tool, Facebook decided…
Read MoreWe Interrupt This Blog for a Short Commercial Break
One of the reasons I’ve so enjoyed writing the Shenandoah Album novels has been the chance to design quilts with words. Never mind how hard they are to actually construct. I can sew my quilts with sentences, choosing colors I love and imagining the result. Early on, of course, Leisure Arts blessed me with real quilts…
Read MoreDreaming Large
A story begins with a dream. Not necessarily the kind that involves pajamas and firm mattresses, but the kind we all have, that waking moment when our minds go spinning into outer space imagining what could be instead of what is.
Read MoreOn the Scent
Nemo and I take a morning walk almost every day. Nemo’s particularly fond of snow and ice, and Emilie is not. Despite this, we find ways to cope. A regional park not far from my house offers trails through the forest, as well as a wide road that’s plowed at the first sign of snow. On snowy…
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