My kids loved Halloween. I didn’t. Nights were usually cold, sometimes rainy. The kids wanted to start early and finish late. Instead of a cute plastic pumpkin for their candy, they took pillowcases—more room for their haul. Candy—in many shapes and forms—were strewn on the floor afterward while they picked out the “good stuff.” Sometimes … Read more

Friends ask me why I write. Writing calms me in a world of uncertainty where doom scares appear daily on all platforms and hope depends on which podcast you hear or which accounts you follow. Writing forces me to pay attention to my characters, my settings, my stories, and where all of this is in … Read more

For those of you who have pets, you know how deeply ingrained they become in your life. We adopted Ralph, our senior Siamese cat, from the local shelter. He’d been brought in as a stray, had a tipped ear to indicate he’d been neutered at one time, and was quite frightened when we took him … Read more

Most writers I know are introverts. They either write in total isolation or in a crowded place where they tune out what’s around them and dive into the world they’re creating. When they’re not writing, most go to day jobs, have friends, volunteer. They don’t hole up in a cave. When I moved to a … Read more

I confess I don’t celebrate National Authors Day. To be even more honest, I didn’t know it even existed until this year. So when I logged into Facebook and saw posts wishing authors a “happy authors day” I decided to do something in its honor. Drink? No, I do that on release day, the day … Read more