Coffee Shop Characters

Coffee Shop Thoughts How much can you know about a person from observing their footwear, I wonder. It looked like half the patrons of my favorite coffee shop today wore boots. Not cute little fashion boots, but the heavy kind that you would wear for serious winter hiking or certain manual labor jobs. These were … Continue reading Coffee Shop Characters

River Stories

It's been a while! Nine months ago, I thought I was ready to start submitting 'River Stories' to agents. Then life happened. And death. Meanwhile I've finally been able to put some final touches on the manuscript. I feel like it's a very solid story and this week I have actually been submitting queries - … Continue reading River Stories

I Never Win Anything – or Do I?

As soon as I read about this gutsy girl in the upcoming middle grade debut novel 'Air,' I knew I had to read it. Since I came across it as part of a contest to win a copy on this blog, I figured it was worth a shot, although I knew I'd never win. I … Continue reading I Never Win Anything – or Do I?

River Stories

There were snakes in that river. That’s why we were never to go there alone. I never saw a snake, but I knew they were there. My mom said so. We had just moved here in June. We would have moved earlier but Mom said we had to wait for the end of the school … Continue reading River Stories

Take a Deep Breath and Exhale

In an ordinary year, I probably would not even notice much of the hoopla around the Presidential Inauguration. But then – I have to admit that I spent most of yesterday watching the inauguration events. At the end of the day, I felt like I had taken a deep breath—and exhaled slowly—at last. After the … Continue reading Take a Deep Breath and Exhale

Why Can I Not Focus?

Cognitive Load Theory I feel like this article in BBC by Dr Christian Jarrett explains a lot about what my mind has been doing recently. More importantly, it offers solutions. If you feel like you’re in a state of constant mental fatigue, you should read this. Cognitive Load Theory discusses the idea that tasks are … Continue reading Why Can I Not Focus?

Imperfections of the Human State

If you have ALS, or if you know someone who has ALS, or if you are in need of a major injection of inspiration or a renewal of faith in the human race, you need to read this. If you have ALS, or if you know someone who has ALS, or if you are in … Continue reading Imperfections of the Human State

I Am That 74-Year-Old Grandmother

Yesterday’s ‘Questionable Statements about the Corona Virus’ award goes to Florida’s Governor DeSantis who said this: "If you're a 22-year-old working in food services, let's say at a supermarket, you would have preference over a 74-year-old grandmother. I don't think that that is the direction that we want to go." DeSantis wants Florida to ignore … Continue reading I Am That 74-Year-Old Grandmother

The Small Stuff

Some mornings it's the small stuff in the news that makes me crazy. President Trump has achieved his goal of destroying another environmental standard created in the prior administration. In a world where 790 million people do not have access to clean water, it's nice to know that some people will be able to wash … Continue reading The Small Stuff

The Val Wood Prize

I've received notice that I am on the short-list for this year's prestigious Val Wood Prize for my short story, 'Mr. Miller.' I am over the hill with excitement. The submission call was for 'feel good' stories. Jess Federle, of my 'Lima' group, had told me about the contest, for which she thought Mr Miller … Continue reading The Val Wood Prize

You Don’t Have to Win

This Kurt Vonnegut quote just grabbed me this morning. I've felt so frustrated this past week. The overthrow of the government in Peru, the attacks on our democracy by a sitting president in the US. And I've been struggling with outlining the plot for my next book. My hero suffers from a need to do … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Win

Kaleidoscope Rocks the Literary World!

Dina Towbin wrote this great piece about the writers reading event in Lima this month. I got to read one of my short stories again. It was fun! Now that Covid has forced us to go virtual, our annual event has become very international, allowing many more of us to participate. Nevertheless, I know we … Continue reading Kaleidoscope Rocks the Literary World!

Autumn Birthday

This is my entry for the Official Kidlit #FallWritingFrenzy! Writers choose a picture from 15 different images and write a 200-word story using the picture as inspiration. Autumn Birthday Autumn is for homecoming, she’d said on the phone. Driving up the highway, I thought the foliage that year was the most beautiful ever. But my heart … Continue reading Autumn Birthday

Bloody Sunday

It should feel like a sad morning when we lose two Medal of Freedom award recipients - two of the many great people who gave their blood to make our country more like the home I want it to be. Rep. John Robert Lewis and Rev. Cordy Tindell Vivian both walked across that bridge in … Continue reading Bloody Sunday

Writing Make Believe

In the midst of ever increasing cases of Covid-19, the ongoing crisis of a culture that can’t decide if the lives of certain segments of the society really matter, the debate over the relative importance of statues of dead confederates, 130,000+ lives lost to the virus, and lives crushed out by boots firmly applied to … Continue reading Writing Make Believe

Not in the Same Boat

I can’t get this thought out of my mind. I read it somewhere I think. We may all be on the same storm, but we’re not in the same boat. With so many critically important things going on in the world lately, it keeps coming back to me like the song that you hear and … Continue reading Not in the Same Boat