I have weddings on my mind. Thirty-six years ago, as of March 21st, I walked down the aisle and into the waiting arms of my beloved. On that happy day, I couldn’t imagine how hard Joe and I would have to work for all those vows we made—for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, […]
Riding the Waves
As with any full-time job, writing is exhausting work, and after awhile I find my creative well has been thoroughly drained. My go-to in order to fill up my creative well has always been live music concerts and musicals, as well as other types of live shows. I also love to travel, though I rarely […]
They’re Playing Our Song
I care for my seven-month-old granddaughter Emily every weekend, and one of her favorite things to do right now is to sing. We are a musical family. We’ll randomly break into song anytime we hear a Broadway lyric or a nursery rhyme. For many years I sang in church choir and have acted in musicals […]
This Christmas
This year Christmas is not what I’d envisioned it to be in any way. We had our floors done in laminate, replacing the most awful pink carpet we’d had since we moved in twenty-odd years ago. That, however, required basically boxing up our house as if to move. I needed to declutter, but my brilliant […]
What am I Thankful For?
“Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercy endures forever!” ~Psalm 107:1 I am the first to admit that 2022 has nearly done me in, in a way even 2020 and COVID did not. I don’t like to talk about it, or even admit it, but rather grin and bear it. But as the American […]
Playing Dress-Up
With Halloween right around the corner, I have a confession to make. I love to dress up. Give me any excuse and I’m there, whether it’s handing out candy to the neighborhood kids or acting in local theater musicals. A couple of Saturdays ago I took part along with the rest of the HearthFire Keep […]
Two Steps Forward…
…one step back. And sometimes in life and in our books, it’s one step forward and two steps back. In life, this looks like my entire family coming down with the flu (yes, you read that right—the regular, run-of-the-mill, wretched FLU!), from the disabled senior to the four-month-old baby. We all suffered with fevers, sneezes, […]
Interviewing Emma and a Giveaway
INTERVIEWER: Today I’m hosting Emma Fitzpatrick from A Reason to Stay. Good morning, Emma, and welcome to the blog. EMMA: Thanks for having me. INTERVIEWER: Let’s start with why you’re in Whispering Pines, Colorado in the first place. It’s a small mountain town, and you come from LA. That’s a huge change. EMMA: Well, I […]
Work/Life Balance
We’re about halfway through summer. My how time flies! Baby Emily is over a month old now and we just signed Anthony up at the nearby middle school. It’s been so crazy around here that I realize I’ve taken very few moments to just…well…be. July 22nd is National Hammock Day, which brings to mind relaxing […]
Book Sightings #Giveaway
In 2005, I went to my first American Christian Fiction Writers Conference. I was so overwhelmed, didn’t know a soul there, and it seemed like everyone I met was published. Don’t get me wrong, I met really nice people. They weren’t bragging. But it seemed like everyone there was published. Except me. After that first […]