A Long and Winding Road

What a summer it was. First I hope your summer was filled with new experiences, even if you stayed home. There’s always something to learn and enjoy even if it’s only from your front porch. I’ve neglected Southern Exposure for the past few weeks, so let me catch you up. Mostly in photos. If this…

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Novelists On The Road

Good morning from Monterey County, California. Novelists on the road or on vacation are a different breed. For fun come join me on my two week stay at my son’s home where Proman and I are dog sitting. We decided that since this area is so rich in possibilities, we would take them one at…

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Diversity, Our Greatest Strength

  I’m traveling for most of the month of November, and I’ll be sharing some of my blogs from 2009-2010 with you while I’m gone. I’ve loved going back to find those I loved most. I looked for a Halloween post for today, but this one, from early 2010 appealed to me instead. Diversity in…

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Hiking Through Life: What’s Your Style?

I just returned from Southern Utah where Proman and I spent ten days hiking in the five spectacular national parks there. We started with an overnight in Las Vegas–what a great place to people watch–and then set off to hike in Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands parks, before returning to Las Vegas early…

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Where in the World is Emilie Richards?

I’ve been traveling this week. Here are some photos from my trip so far–heading home soon. Can you tell where I am? Comment with your guess–if you dare. I’m doing this from my iPad, so the photos are not in order of any kind. Have you guessed? Let me know in comments. Meantime have a…

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Where Writers Get Ideas: What Do You Do on Vacation?

I’m on the high seas today, taking a holiday after finishing When We Were Sisters. Here’s a blog I wrote after another trip almost exactly two years ago, and I thought you might enjoy a second look. I’ll be back next week with new tales to tell. *** Let’s take a little quiz. Do you…

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The Setting We Never Got to See

Today I’m sharing some photos of my trip to Guatemala, all from our visit to the Chichicastenango in the Highlands on market day. Last week I explained that the trip was research for Endless Chain–just reissued–book two of the Shenandoah Album series. The trip was a bit unusual since I traveled there after the book…

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Conversations With The Dead–Flying Kites in Guatemala

I had the good fortune to visit Guatemala in early 2009, an unusual journey since I’d written about the political struggles in Guatemala in my novel Endless Chain, the second book of my Shenandoah Album series, but had never visited the country.  Although only the back story took place in Guatemala, I found it strange to…

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Great Expectations–The Chapters That Did NOT Get Written

I had great expectations for my time here, but the reality was even better. Sometimes it’s important to let go of expectations, to see what transpires without them. Some of life’s finest gifts arrive that way. My gift this past month was making new friends and learning to appreciate this remarkable community in a whole new way. I just bet, in the long run, Tracy, Wanda, Janya and Alice will all be better off for it when I settle in, once again, to tell their story.

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The Problems With New: How Adventurous Are You?

How adventurous are you?  On a scale of one to ten now, and remember, no one will know what you’ve decided.  Do you like challenges?  Are you happiest when you’re doing something you’ve never done before?  Do you get bored easily doing the same old, same old?  Then think of yourself as a ten, just a…

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