Yellowstone National Park really knocked me out. I just got back from a trip with my husband and kids, and it’s got to be about the strangest place in the country. The geysers, multi-colored pools, mud pots, hot springs and steam vents all seem like something from another … [Read more...]
THE END
It’s that last glimpse back as he runs for the train, or the sigh as the hot sun sets into the water with an all-but-audible sizzle, or the relief of confirming the killer.Or not.The closing words of any novel will either satisfy or they won’t. They’ll leave the reader … [Read more...]
When Even Gatsby’s Not So Great
My seventeen-year-old daughter was assigned to read The Great Gatsby. “How do you like it?” I asked. “Hate it,” she said. I nodded. I remembered hating it in high school, too.But when she asked me to look at the paper she’d written on this hateful book, she included the … [Read more...]
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
I was a huge Mr. Rogers fan. He sang that catchy neighbor song, and told us we were fine just the way we are, and assured us that when the water goes down the bathtub drain, we definitely wouldn’t go with it. You could believe a guy like that. Turns out he was right about the tub … [Read more...]
Who Are You Calling Slacker?
I’ve been told I need to blog more. I am a slacker blogger.I find this pretty funny, since in most aspects of my life, I am the Anti-Slacker. You should see me on vacation. Before a recent trip, my kids sat me down and told me they were not going to put up with my making them … [Read more...]
A Gift Horse of a Different Color
TweetI think I have giftlexia. Or would it be dysgiftia? I can express love and appreciation in lots of ways, but gifts are definitely not my strong suit.I have friends whom I consider gift savants --- seemingly born with the uncanny ability to take one look at a person … [Read more...]
The Truth Behind Fiction
When my first novel, SHELTER ME, came out, people often asked if it was autobiographical. “No,” I’d reply. “It’s pure fiction.” Sometimes this question came from people who actually know me—even a few who’ve met my very much alive husband. I found that a little surprising since … [Read more...]
Judging a Book by its Cover
If you know nothing about a book or its author, how else can you judge it? When I’m perusing bookstore shelves, it’s often the split-second appeal of the jacket that makes me pick it up or pass it by. It’s sort of like an impulse buy—an impulse gander.I first saw the cover of … [Read more...]
The Mystery of the Afghan Revealed
I love the cover of Shelter Me, and I can say that without a hint of self-satisfaction because I had nothing to do with it. Not a thing. In fact, I had no idea of where the photo had been taken, who's in it, or where that gorgeous rainbow of an afghan came from ...Until last … [Read more...]