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!
A Day of Adventure – Spook Cave, Field of Dreams, Galena, and Gravity Hill
The day began when I poked the teenagers early in the morning with a promise for a day filled with adventure. They were skeptical, grumpy, and tired – but I asked for trust and optimism! Triggered by a morning post on Facebook showing a waterfall tour through Iowa, I...
A short story – Cicada Song
This short story was written in response to a writing prompt about "story endings". The challenge was either and open ending or plot twist. I have no clue why my fingertips led me down a dark path, but this story contains violence and a couple swear words. (I held...
The Novel in Verse – Discover the Wonders: A review of three favorites.
A novel in verse was a foreign term to me not long ago, but now that they are on my radar – I am in love. A novel in verse takes poetry and wraps it into a novel. It is shorter and easier to read for reluctant readers, but carries the same power of a novel....
Refusing to Get Old
I’m getting older – obviously. But, I didn’t feel my age until recently. I’m 46 years old and but still convinced I can climb trees and do a cartwheel in the green grass - if I felt like it. But recently my body reminded me it has changed. During a recent...
Picture Books Can Save the World
Picture books can save the world . . . I’m sure of it. I addressed this topic focusing only on anxiety in Pat’s Chat - May 2017, but it’s worth revisiting in more depth. Picture books are not just a sweet, innocent source of entertainment for children, but they can be...
Travel, adventure, and learning a new culture: Costa Rica
PURA VIDA! It means “pure life” and is the motto of Costa Rica. My family recently returned from a Spring Break vacation to the region where the landscapes are filled with diversity of animal and plant life and a welcoming culture. When traveling, I try to do more...
Knock, Knock – A fiction short story addressing friends, support, and school shootings.
Recently I entered the Iron Pen writing contest and was challenged to write a short story in 24 hours based on the prompt "If I don't have real answers, it is because we still don't know what questions to ask." I didn't win. Or did I? I explored a tough topic through...
Unpublished Author Lessons – Watching Out for the Wicked
Author beware. “We are interested in your manuscript.” THE PHONE CALL!!! Who doesn’t want to receive this phone call from an editor or agent? It would cause massive hysteria and probably mild incontinence... And I received it! But then… I submitted a picture book...
Wait For it or Go For it
Let the song play while you read! I was fortunate to see Hamilton in Chicago, and the powerful music showed me a part of history I knew little about. My favorite song, "Wait For It", is sung by the character, Aaron Burr, who eventually shoots Alexander Hamilton in a...
Learning History through Nonfiction
I know very little history. If I land on a yellow triangle in Trivial Pursuit, I might as well forfeit. If the topic is history at trivia night, I eat potato chips and drink a beer. It's fact. But that does not mean I don't have the interest to learn and don't realize...
Life is an Adventure – Get Your Feet Wet
Anyone who knows me is aware that I MUST travel. I am restless and cannot concentrate unless I know there is a vacation on the horizon: sandy beaches, snowy mountains tops, hiking through the forest, and crashing ocean waves call my name almost every day. My husband...
The 80’s Rocked: Book Review of READY PLAYER ONE
I was a girl of the 80's. High hair, a rolled cuff at the base of my jeans, I owned leg warmers, and cruised the streets blaring Duran Duran. Most of my generation can't pass up the reruns of Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and the classic John Hughes films. A...