Today was clean out the fridge day. I set stacks of containers containing leftovers on the counter and prepared to wipe down the refrigerator shelves. I confess. I'm one of those people who saves stuff, and that includes food. My mother often said "Children in India...
THAT’S THE WAY LIFE LIVES
Parenting a Gifted or Difficult Teen
My daughter’s friends called her “Barbie” because of her platinum blond hair. Maya was lean and willowy, with deep brown eyes and a winning smile. But she was no dumb blonde. She appeared in her first play at the age of nine, portraying one of the “no neck monsters”...
Books I Think You Should Read
Most authors tour virtually now. While I miss the face to face contact with readers, a virtual tour allows me to reach many more people, and connect with some wonderful bloggers and websites. Stop number 2 on my Women on Writing (WOW) blog tour is the Books I Think...
Swimming with Maya Blog Tour Begins!
Monday, October 14 @ The Muffin Stop by for an interview and book giveaway! http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/ When Crystal Otto asked if I would do a Q & A to kick off my Women on Writing blog tour, I thought "Well how hard can that be?" Little did I know...
Rebirth
Miracles can be small gifts – the monarch butterfly that drifts over the hollyhock in your garden then pauses for you to admire. Or they can be big, life-changing events that grab you by the shoulders. The birth of a child. Or the rebirth of a book. I’ve experienced...
Everyday Heroes
"I’m drawn to those defiant souls who refuse to submit to tough circumstances, those who jut out their chins and stubbornly defy the odds." -- Donald Dempsey, author of Betty's Child I'm pleased to welcome fellow Dream of Things author Donald Dempsey for a guest post...
New Life
For months, I’ve stared at the grainy ultrasound on my daughter’s refrigerator. But on July 30, that black and gray image came into focus. Francesca Blanche Coleman arrived, all 8 lbs., 1 oz. of her. The moment I held her in my arms – little pointed chin, rosebud...
Every Writer’s Dream
My book is up against mega-sellers like Wild, The Glass Castle, and Bossypants – and that’s just in the memoir category. Yet at this moment, Swimming with Maya has claimed the number one spot in women’s memoirs in the Kindle store. How is this David vs. Goliath story...
My Inheritance
A few days before my father turned 91, I reminded him of this milestone. “Why that’s amazing,” he said, surprised and delighted, wrapped in a protective cocoon of dementia. My father’s only choice at that point was to be here now. This man smoked two packs of...
Happiness
“Life gets mighty precious when there’s less of it to waste.” – Bonnie Raitt There was a time in my life I thought I’d never be happy again. But I’ve learned to look at seasons of life, not just days or years. Lately, I’ve been very happy. Not euphoric, mind you, but...