Because the emigrants in my first Oregon Trail novel traveled between April and October, I didn’t have to write about their Christmas celebrations in that book. But the sequel covers a three-year time span, so as I work on this draft, I am learning about Christmas traditions in the late […]
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A Writer’s Journey, and the Value of Critique Groups
In my gratitude list, I mentioned the support of colleagues and mentors as something I am grateful for. When I decided to spend my time writing, finding fellow writers was a year-long journey. For the first several months, I just wrote. And read books about writing. I learned a lot […]
Continue readingJingle Bell Villanelle
As Christmas approaches every year, I worry about all the things to do — send cards, buy presents, mail packages, make travel plans. I feel overwhelmed. Here is the poem I wrote a couple of years ago to express my frustration. It is in the classic villanelle rhyme scheme. Jingle […]
Continue readingNominated for “One Lovely Blog Award” . . . and My Nominations
A writing and blogging friend, Linda Joyce, has nominated this blog for the “One Lovely Blog Award” – I am honored. One more reason to be grateful as this month of gratitude draws to a close. Nominees for this award are required to: 1. Thank the blogger who nominated them, which […]
Continue readingMy Gratitude List, 2012
Gratitude journals are a tool used in many disciplines. Psychologists prescribe them to combat depression. Writing and creativity coaches encourage them as inspiration. Religious leaders recommend them as a way to focus on the blessings in our lives. There is even a Wikipedia entry on gratitude journals, and for those […]
Continue readingCelebrate The 10th “I Love To Write Day” On November 15, 2012
Delaware author John Riddle established “I Love To Write Day” in 2002. According to the I Love To Write Day organization’s press release, the day is now celebrated in over 28,000 schools across the United States, with bookstores, libraries, community centers, and just plain writers also joining in the fun. […]
Continue readingThe Travails of Elizabeth Dixon Smith Geer
As I wrote in my last post about the Oregon Trail, the emigrants wanted to get to Oregon before the winter weather set in. Most travelers arrived by the end of October, but some were not so lucky. One of the unfortunate travelers was Elizabeth Dixon Smith Geer. Elizabeth kept […]
Continue readingFamily Recipe: A Good Christmas Present
It’s about time to start Christmas shopping, if the store windows are any gauge. Have you enjoyed this blog? Then consider buying my book, Family Recipe: Sweet and saucy stories, essays, and poems about family life, for the people in your life who might also enjoy my stories. The book would […]
Continue readingFamily Read Aloud Month: Building a Community of Readers in Kansas City
As I wrote recently, reading has always been very important to me. I didn’t know when I wrote my post two weeks ago about my mother reading to me that November is Family Read Aloud Month, nor that the Kansas City Public Library is working with Mayor Sly James on an initiative […]
Continue readingHaunting Book: Turn of Mind, by Alice LaPlante
The last book in my October series of haunting books is Turn of Mind, by Alice LaPlante. I would not have known about this book, except that it was a Stanford Alumni Association Book Salon choice for September 2012. When I learned Turn of Mind was the September selection, I […]
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