I was lucky. I grew up in San Juan Capistrano, a small town in California, at a time when everyone knew everyone else and it was safe for a curious little girl to walk alone downtown. My frequent destination was the old Spanish mission in the heart of town. The front entrance was a few … Read more

I confess. I talk to myself. I don’t argue or whine or shout. Calm, carefully chosen words fill my mind and escape my lips when I’m pondering a problem or working through a speech. My kids notice and comment. “Are you talking to yourself, Mom?” “Am I?” “Yes.” “I do that.” Recently, at a conference … Read more

Relaxing on a sunny beach? Nope. Hiking in giant redwoods? Nope. Cruising to a quiet anchorage? Nope. Vacations are relative. To me a vacation is being in a different place and doing something you don’t usually do. Hopefully it nourishes your soul and gives you energy and a positive outlook when you return. My vacation … Read more

I haven’t blogged for a couple of months and I want to assure all of you who missed me (and those who didn’t notice) that I am not dead, defeated, or drunk. I’m dealing with change and change in any form tends to throw me off schedule and occasionally makes me wordless. After a year, … Read more

I’ve blogged about this before, but the resistance to writing reviews continues and I’m not sure why. Reviews are not book reports. They can be one or two sentences that say what you liked or didn’t like about a book. My most successful book to date has been a historical romance called Scandal’s Child. It … Read more