Window Over The Sink

I've done that particular game on Facebook a few times. I'm not very exciting. There are usually a whole bunch of things I've never, ever done, and a few things I never, ever will. However, further into my ongoing discussion of age, never have I ever seen this much water! I remember when the dam was built and how exciting it was to the community. It was beyond my comprehension that land would be covered with water in order to make other land safe from being covered with water

Years ago, Duane worked on something in the front yard, finished it, and laid a screwdriver in the elbow created by a branch reaching out from the trunk of a tree. He forgot it was there. Then he remembered and he meant to get it, but ... well, he didn't. When he finally did, the elbow had fattened up around the screwdriver so that he couldn't pull it free. Over time, we watched the tree trunk grow around the screwdriver. I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point it di

Dave Letterman Whenever I can't think of something to write about, I make lists. I didn't get the idea from Facebook, where there are lists all the time, or even from Dave Letterman, who singlehandedly made the Top Ten list famous. No, wait ... I used to listen to the Top Ten Songs of the Week on WLS every week. I can't remember the day, time, or even the DJ--Ron Riley, maybe?--but I never missed it. When I tried to figure out where the concept of Top Tens came from, I couldn

by Nan Reinhardt You know, as authors, we work hard to develop a brand that our readers come to expect. My brand, as you all know is sweet, small-town romance with a tiny touch of sensuality. My characters kiss—often passionately. Sometimes, they end up in the bedroom, but the door is firmly closed and what they’re doing in there is left to readers’ imaginations. Every so often, my characters get mad or frustrated and a hell or damn or a crap might come out—you know, everyday

by Debra Jo Myers Clowns! Funny faces, wild hair, colorful clothes, and big shoes. The creatures designed to bring laughter wherever they go! Except they don’t. Not for half the population suffering from coulrophobia. Yes, half! Coulrophobia – it sounds like it should be a fear of cults or something sinister, not a fear of clowns?! Grandpa gave me my first clown when I was six. It was an appropriate gift since mama signed me up to be a kiddie clown in the Peru Amateur Circu

It's #WriterWednesday, and it's me again, along with 38 other writers whose works have been combined to create Gals Guide's Fifth Annual Anthology. This year's theme is Rebellion. Blurb: How do you rebel? Sparks of rebellion can be found from family stories to famous women of history. Ripples of rebellion can start small and grow into big movements. The stories and poems in this year's Gals Guide Anthology showcase the political, as well as the deeply personal, defiant acts o

I've had a busy week and I used this on another blog a few weeks ago; if you've already read it, sorry! It's about writing, and about me, and about the road both the writing and I have taken. It's parade day today. I hope you enjoy it and that Circus Week has been a resounding success! I started out writing sweet romance. Of course, I did. I was nine years old, typing a princess story on my aunt's portable Royal typewriter at a table on my grandparents' enclosed front porch

There are declarations of love that are easy to write. When everyone agrees. When admiration is fashionable. When nothing is at stake. And then there are declarations of love that feel slightly out of time. This is one of those.

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