Fiction Friday: Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Across the morning sky, all the birds are leaving . . . Friday came and went and I realized at the end of the day that as my summer winds down and I prepare for the journey south my writing has taken precedence over my Fiction Friday posts. Like the geese flying overhead every day,…
Read MorePleasures of Small Museums
What is it about small museums that makes them so special? Now that the official season is over here, Michael and I ventured into Jamestown, New York yesterday with friends to do a little sightseeing before we head back to Florida. Jamestown is a lovely little city, once a furniture manufacturing capital and now, like many northern…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: “Flowers always make people better…”
FLOWERS ALWAYS MAKE PEOPLE BETTER “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” – Luther Burbank As summer slips into the beginnings of fall here in Chautauqua, New York, I find myself saying goodbye to the beautiful flowers that have given me and so many others…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Book Collections
Welcome to Fiction Friday. On Tuesday I showed you a few of the “prized possessions” which now adorn our summer cottage. I didn’t have room there to show you two “collections” we’ve added to our walls, so I’m adding them here. The first are mismatched plates I couldn’t bear to throw away, and the second a wonderful…
Read MoreThese Are a Few of My Favorite Things
Confession time. Are you ready? What favorite things do you have in boxes in your attic, basement or hall closet that you just can’t let go of? How many times have you moved them? I’ll confess to being something of a hoarder. I tend to vest objects with such sentiment that it’s hard to toss…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Back to School
Are your children heading back to school? As children head back to school I want to share an amazing blog about teachers, schools, and kids. Glennon Doyle Melton is an exceptional blogger who goes right to the heart, and her words here are no exception. She reminds us that our kids go back to school…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Horror Stories from the Book Tour Life
Welcome to Fiction Friday. I’m in my last week of programming at Chautauqua Institution and scurrying around to do everything and see everyone before the season ends and we all begin to pack. I’m also making headway on the new book in progress and believe I’ll strike while the iron is hot. Instead of my usual interviews and…
Read MoreSummer Quilts and Lessons Learned
Part of the joy of spending summers in Chautauqua, New York, is listening to lectures. So many lectures! This week we’re exploring health care. Today, for instance, I learned about new research into mental illness, a particular interest after spending time working with patients in a mental health center years ago. This afternoon I’ll attend…
Read MoreSunday Inspiration: Ripple Effect Images
One small change can have an enormous impact. Just ask the photographers behind Ripple Effect Images. Last week I heard an amazing lecture here at Chautauqua by Annie Griffiths, a National Geographic photographer and the founder of Ripple Effect Images, an organization that reaches out to impoverished girls and women around the world. Her incredible photographs were…
Read MoreFiction Friday: Book Websites You Have to Love
Welcome to Fiction Friday. I started Fiction Friday so I would have the opportunity to excerpt my books and those of some of my friends and colleagues. But I’m between books to share with you today, so instead I thought I would share some of my favorite websites about books. Of course it makes sense…
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