It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Kindle: Booklover Carols Part Seven
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! What time you say? It’s time for my annual Booklover Carol, of course. This ridiculous tradition is a surprise to you? Well, every year I pen a new carol, and publish it here. One is sillier than the other. Who could decide? You may ask yourself when this…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Overcoming Abuse
This young man may not look like a goddess, but you can bet he is. Can you believe this 16 year-old boy has raised over $60,000 to overcome domestic abuse? Truly amazing, isn’t it? To satisfy a high school course requirement Nick Jaeger decided to help out at a shelter for abuse victims. Then after learning first…
Read MoreStruggling With The Ending: How Does an Author Decide the Final Fate of Characters?
Here in the United States Thanksgiving came and went this past week. On Thursday I sat at the dining room table with my husband, my brother, my sister-in-law eating the feast we had prepared. I might as well have set two more places. Because as far as I was concerned the two major characters in my…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Giving Tuesday
So there was Thanksgiving, then Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and now tomorrow Cyber Monday. But did you know that the next day is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday is a national movement to return the spirit of generosity to this season of overdone materialism. In the words of Anne Frank: “No one has ever become poor by giving.”…
Read MoreHappy Thanksgiving from My Family to Yours
Statler Rum Rolls from Good Housekeeping Cookbook (published in 1942) Thanksgiving is so tied to food in the U.S. that when I think of the holiday, I can almost taste the traditional foods I enjoyed as a child. On my Facebook Page I mentioned that I would be making these for my own Thanksgiving dinner…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Too Much Junk to Be Grateful For
Have you heard the song about “Too Much Stuff”? I feel that way sometimes. I have lots of stuff, not as much as some, but way more than others. And I feel guilty about it. Part of my problem is figuring out what’s stuff and what’s junk. I hate junk. It serves no purpose whatever…
Read MoreIn Celebration of the Holidays: Season of Miracles
I am delighted to announce that just in time for the holidays my newest e-book, Season of Miracles, is now at your favorite online bookstore. Season of Miracles was originally published in 1986–if you’re interested you’ll find more background in previous posts here and here. For a peek at the original cover as well as how to enter a…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Living Longer
We live in Sarasota, Florida where we are often surrounded by our elders, one of those politically correct terms for old people. At social gatherings–of which there are many–some of the major topics are knee replacements, physical rehab, and drugs that work. I’m delighted I still feel young, although whether I am or not is completely subjective. I’m…
Read MoreComplications for the Novelist: How Times Have Changed
Crazy week, this one. I bet you have those, too. After spending four days at the Novelist’s Inc. conference, I arrived home in time to wash clothes, repack and fly to Ohio for the Buckeye Book Fair. Three of my Facebook readers came to visit me at the book signing and I loved being with them. (Thanks Joni,…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: The Happiness Ratio
The Happiness Ratio Are you a happy person? Hard to answer, isn’t it? I’m happy one minute and then a little while later I’m sad or angry or frustrated. After reading this excellent article, Here’s the Magic Number That Leads to Happiness by Eric Barker, I realize that happiness is all about the math. He…
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