Welcome
{ to my blog }.
Welcome to my blog.
Thanks for visiting my blog. My hope is to post every 1-2 weeks with a combination of adventure stories, craft/writing posts, book reviews, and other non-boring, exciting content to keep you coming back for more!
Getting Away – Finding What’s Important: Daytona Beach
Vacation has a way of clearing out the muck swirling in your brain to filter your thoughts. Doesn’t matter where I go . . . getting away is all that matters. Recently my family traveled to Daytona Beach Florida and spent the days on the beach without a plan or...
Words to Live By – A Short Story of Fiction
This is a short story I entered into a contest - I didn't win - but wanted to share it! It is fiction and not based on true events. Words to Live By I found a clump of Mom’s hair in the shower. Trying to ignore its meaning, I scooped it up but hesitated to...
Celebrating Diversity with Picture Books
I grew up in rural Iowa and rarely saw a person of color, I had no experience with sexual identity issues, and my religious knowledge consisted of what I learned at Sunday school. With continued education, life experience, and traveling outside of my...
SAWKILL GIRLS and SADIE – Fantastic Novels in Multiple POV
I discovered two new favorite Young Adult (YA) novels – SADIE, by Courtney Summers, and SAWKILL GIRLS, by Claire Legrand. Each book held my attention and kept me reading to find answers and solve the mysteries buried in the pages. These novels share a common format...
Greta and Rosie : A Tale of Two Devious Dogs
STORY BASED ON TRUE EVENTS . . . Meet Rosie. Mild mannered. Spoiled. Afraid to walk on hard-wood floors unless her parents have rugs to make a path. Wakes you up on a chilly night to sneak under the covers. Recently put on a restrictive diet due to stomach...
‘Tis the Season – Family at the Holidays
‘Tis the season, and it’s my favorite. My radio station turns to Christmas music as soon as "O, Holy Night" begins to play (after Halloween), and I put the decorations up a little earlier to provide a splash of color to the winter gray. The winter doldrums are brushed...
Teaching Perseverance
I'm positive that kids get tired of hearing - "things are different than when I was a kid" . . . but they are! In my opinion, children face different social pressures, cyber bullying, and have to watch out for "drugs" in all forms - (don't eat the Tide Pods!) There...
Adventures in Self-Publishing: SAVING THE WORLD
The competitive world of writing requires fortitude and persistence. I am often asked where someone can purchase my books. I usually drop my head, turn red, and fill with guilt as I explain – they are nowhere YET, except on my computer. I continue...
Self Defense: Reclaiming Control
My daughters along with 35 other family and friends had the privilege of attending Jai Johnson's self defense class last night. It was an evening that inspired hope and confidence to reverse the role as victim and to take back control. I'm going to share...
Writing Dialogue: Giving your Characters an Authentic Voice
Dialogue fills our world as we chat with family and friends. Often we recognize excitement, sorrow, or frustration in the spoken words or the tone of a voice. Dialogue plays an essential role in giving depth to writing. “Yo, dude, snag me a...
Preparing Our Children for a Different World
I live in rural Iowa where people still hold the door open for you, strangers wave from their passing car, and there is a sense of peace in the Heartland. When a college girl gets kidnapped and killed in a rural town only minutes away, and then a twelve-year-old boy...
Midlife crisis?
So - it could be a midlife crisis? I am inching up on 50, and the thought makes me barf. The kids are back to school and they apparently grew up overnight. Today a freshman - tomorrow college visits. Where did these ten pounds come from? Goodbye metabolism. I know...