Window Over The Sink

Today's Writer Wednesday is ... well, don't be too disappointed ... it's me. Because I have a sale going on and I just wanted to share it. Once upon a time, my husband and I drove over a bridge with a sign giving the crossing the name Fallen Soldier Bridge. It was one of those things you just don't forget. One of those things you know you need to do something with, but what? That explains the genesis of Fallen Soldier, Pennsylvania, from which came the A New Season Trilogy,

I wish we'd done better. I remember watching the 1976 national fireworks in our house on Rosewood drive. They were amazing. The whole bicentennial season had been amazing. I would tell our kids to remember this, because they wouldn't see its like again. They were six, four, and two--I'm fairly certain they don't remember much of it anyway. But I think I was right. They won't see its like again. Although I'm political enough to have absolute opinions on how we didn't do better

“Summer reading” comes with a lot of baggage. A lot of people never got out of associating it with a long list of literary drudgery that you have to do before school starts back up in the fall (read Dostoyevsky when it’s my fun time?! you must be joking). And if you moved past that, you still might silo off reading to a Thing You Do Only When On Vacation. Everyone wants to write the book that’s a “beach read,” after all.
 Speaking of the beach, if your algorithm is similar to

Stolen from the Fairgrounds FB page. On Monday of this week, I helped check in exhibits for Extension Homemakers at the fair. It was fun. I got to talk to people I don't always see and also to see a building full of talent and ... ... also while I was there-- I saw the most beautiful cake decorating I have ever seen in my whole life. Admittedly, this comes from a person who can barely spread canned icing, but those entries were gorgeous! I saw a bunch of 4-H members bursting

by Ashlyn Chase What if a group of powerful witches lived together in a sentient mansion that occasionally decided to relocate itself? What if every witch had a unique magical gift, a quirky familiar, and a knack for finding trouble? And what if saving the world came with equal parts danger, romance, friendship, and laugh-out-loud antics? Welcome to the League of Amazing Witches, or L.A.W. for short. This new paranormal romance series follows a remarkable group of witches who

From 2011. Some things stay the same. Webster defines a father as “the male parent of a child.” However, when one parent is absent, the parent who’s doing the raising must fulfil both roles. Single mothers learn more about sports and changing oil and that time in their sons’ lives when they become walking, talking hormones than they ever wanted to learn. Single fathers attend more dance recitals, buy more clothes with lace on them, and learn the hard way to keep their mouths

Neither of us knew absolute. But there are many kinds of relative, too, and they can be like comparing a wicked uncle with a grumpy older sister. Just not the same.

by Randy Overbeck History is written by the victors…most of the time by men. So it is hardly surprising that women are given little mention in the telling of the founding of our nation. If students are taught about any women famous for this time, they may have learned about Betsy Ross, who’s given credit for sewing the first flag for the new country. Or if they had a particularly insightful history teacher, they may have learned how Abigail Adams, devoted wife of John Adams,

I've been having a time writing. I just can't think of stuff. I can't think of how to end things I've begun, how to fill the middles, how to end things when I can't find a way to wrap it around the beginning. Some of it's due to age (isn't everything?), some of it's because my mind's been on this week's new release, some of it's because I'm going around either saying or thinking the same panic-stricken words I've been saying for years now. Is it time to quit? I don't know. Ma

And so is Susie Black! History of the Bikini: As a ladies’ swimwear sales executive, I considered the bikini the one article of clothing closest to my heart. Now that I am a humorous cozy mystery author, I write what I know. So, all the stories in my award-winning Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series take place in the ladies’ swimwear industry. Death by Coconut, my most recent release, is the eighth book in the series. It is the first book in the series that takes place at the Miam

This morning I have been thinking about Nine Eleven. About J6. About Ruby Bridges. About Black Lives Matter. About the KKK. About ICE. About war. About 60 Minutes. About the White House and its East Wing, the reflecting pool, a 250-dollar-bill, the Kennedy Center. About insider trading. About how many times I've been called names and told to go do impossible things to myself because I have both opinions--gasp!--and an intense dislike for the present presidential administratio

By Darlene Fredette Redford Falls is more than a place to visit…it’s where stories begin. A Redford Falls Story Nestled in the heart of Redford Falls is a charming small town that captures the warmth of close-knit community life, where friendly faces greet you on Main Street and every shop holds a story. Redford Falls offers the perfect setting for heartwarming moments against a bustling ski resort, quaint local businesses, and the town’s picturesque park, complete with win

This is my friend Joe Scheidler's new book. Joe and his wife Lee are naturalists who know and care more about the environment than anyone I know. He's also an extremely talented writer. Joe can be found on Substack or at Black Dog Writers meetings where we have a really good time and listen to each other's work. When So Much Seems Right This book is a series of essays on the state of our natural world and the human impact that shape our future. "Joe writes from the heart, wit

by Cathy Shouse “It took on a life of its own.” That old phrase applies to the newsletter I’ve written and e-mailed to subscribers every other week since 2022. I started the newsletter when I began publishing sweet cowboy romances, as a way to keep in touch. But my readers and I have shared more than I expected, and have become friends along the way. Sometimes I have “big things” to write about. (They’re big to me, anyway.) Other times, very little has gone on for me to shar

Not a favorite word. It used to be, back when I was changing from staying behind when my brothers got on the bus to joining them when I went into first grade. They always let me get on the bus first, then studiously ignored me the rest of the day unless I got into trouble. It was still fun when I went from elementary school to junior high, when we seniors went solemnly up the side aisles of the gym to the strains of Pomp and Circumstance on our way into the future. To this da

Happy Mother's Day 2026. Thanks for reading the Window, even when it's a rerun. - Liz This is from 1991, the early years of the Window Over the Sink. It was the first Mother's Day column I ever wrote. It is still my favorite. This picture is of the mothers, daughters, and granddaughters in my family. I have no words to say how much I love them all, how much I miss my mom and Duane's mom (also mine), and how grateful I am for the ties that link us even when we're apart. "She l

"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." - Rudyard Kipling Let's talk about words--want to? Doing what I do, words are important to me and always have been. I used to love that I could spell well because it made writing easier and got me at least one easy A in school. Along with the rest of my memory, remembering how to spell has kind of gone to the wayside, but I can often spot errors other people make. I can't edit my own work, but I can sooo easily p

I'm in Marion at Bookworm Orchard Bookstore & Gifts. I'm selling and signing books and so are a bunch of other people. I hope you'll come over and check out both the event and the venue. There will be 28 of us signing! Angela Herrington, April Decton, Ava Cuvay, Bess Sturgis, Bob Freeman, Chris McWhirt, Christine Lawrence, Connor Freeman, Elizabeth Woodrow, Erin Hayden, Jana Strickler, Jessica Miller, Johnson Brewer, Kathy Gerstorff, Laura Petrucce, Leland Gamson, Liz Flahert

I was thinking this morning--today is Sunday, six days before you're reading this--that I am being silenced. Well, not me, actually, but my writing voice. I remember the early days of essays, when I wrote for the Peru Tribune , it wasn't always easy, but I could usually spill out a column in an hour. I didn't have--although I should have had--a proofreader, and I think sometimes Jeff Ward didn't edit what I sent in--and should have; he may have trusted me too much. Some of it

In criminal defense attorney Mandy Price’s experience, men are untrustworthy. Life is better when she concentrates on career.