I Married a Grinch

Last week I talked about how much I love Christmas…the spirit, the lights, the trees, the music. It was, therefore, a bit of a letdown when I discovered I had married a Grinch. In his classic, Dr. Seuss’s character is cynical about everything to do with Christmas. He despises the Whos in Whoville for their … Read more

Where Ideas Come From

Authors are sometimes asked where we get ideas for our stories. Sitting in the tasting room of a winery one day, I looked around at the family pictures and noticed every one of the owner’s adult children were somehow involved in winemaking. When I wrote my first book in my Love in Wine Country series, … Read more

Thanksgiving Means Family

“I sometimes joke that my greatest shortcoming as a writer is that I had an extremely happy childhood.” The quote is from Anna Quindlen and I can sympathize. I did not grow up in a dysfunctional family. My parents were married for fifty years. I had a little sister who was close, despite a six-year … Read more

In and Out

We’re housesitting for a friend this week…actually cat-sitting. Thelma and Louise are two rescues who have found a home in cat paradise. Our friend has a wonderful old Craftsman cottage in the heart of old Sonoma, Ca., right near a winery. The street in front of the house is busy, but the cats have lots … Read more