Window Over The Sink

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.

I have to admit it--I have nothing today. But the fairgrounds has this. " Come out and see the Prehistoric Indian artifacts show at the fairgrounds sponsored by the Indiana Archaelogical Society. We are here representing the Miami County Museum with some of our artifacts and goodies. The show is open until 3pm. The concessions are open and they have some breakfast too! Or this sounds like fun -- If you're out and about tonight, stop in for Open Mic at Gallery 15 -- And then

by M.J. Schiller Thank you, Liz, for having me on the Window! It’s an honor being on the blog that I enjoy reading so much! People often ask where an author gets their ideas for their books. Mine come from a number of sources. One book, it was the first line that came to my mind, and the story revolved around that. (Ironically, the line ended up being in the middle of the book.) Sometimes it’s a dream, sometimes it develops out of a song, and sometimes, like with my newest r

by Joe DeRozier Joe, caught being terrified. They walk by, casually turning their heads to look at my table while being very careful not to make eye contact. I usually push my books at Fall and Christmas events, believing my chances of getting sales are elevated being close to the holidays, but a few weeks ago I read about an opportunity to attend a Spring Spectacular. I wasn't sure how well I'd do because the targeted audience would be different. The holiday crowd can be per

The Interurban Round my Indiana homestead wave the cornfields,In the distance loom the woodlands clear and cool.Oftentimes my thoughts revert to scenes of childhood ... Oh, the moonlight’s fair tonight along the Wabash; from the fields there comes the breath of new-mown hay,through the sycamores the candlelights are gleaming, on the banks of the Wabash, far away. - Paul Dresser Indiana is not always a comfortable place to live. Our weather's iffy, the politics are ... what th

I'm sorry I never saw the Beatles or the Eagles perform live.

... life has a funny way of taking plans like that and tossing them right out the window.

I can't speak for other professions, but writers and other artists tend to seek each other out.

I'm happy to have Darlene Fredette back at the Window today. She's going to talk about Book 5 in her Redford Falls Series, but first she's going to answer some questions. I just love when someone agrees to do that, don't you? 1. What do you do on those days when you’re pretty sure the muse has died and you’ll never again write a publishable word? I don’t think my muse has ever died. I have too many stories in my head and too little time. However, there have been days when I n

Virginia Balsbaugh was the librarian at North Miami when I was a kid.

What if the key to abundance isn’t giving more—but giving in balance? We’ve been taught that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. But what if receiving is just as sacred as giving? And what if the two were never meant to exist apart? The Giving on Purpose journal invites you to explore the powerful, often misunderstood connection between giving and receiving. If you’ve ever felt like you give endlessly—your time, love, energy, or resources—yet struggle to receive in ret

Oh, weren't we? But I'm always talking about books. Way too often about my own, but sometimes ... sometimes I spread the news about other authors. It's especially fun to do this when they are either local or locally connected. This week, I'm talking about children's books. Gloria Dance Gloria Beecher Dance graduated from North Miami. She's had an interesting life that included a long career in elementary education. However, it was her twin grandchildren who planted the story

...the days that were 'wasted’ are the ones to regret the most.

I wrote the following column in 1994. I last used it in April of 2022, when my sister Nancy passed away. I use it again now because this week we lost my brother Joe, the one I talk about in the essay's first paragraph. He is the last of my sisters and brothers and the ache of loss is deep and unrelenting. However, the memories are just as deep and offer many of the Heartening Times I wrote about recently. It is also dedicated, with never ending love, to the memories of Nancy

by Sherri Easley I recently learned there is an actual word for something I’ve been doing my entire life. It’s called pebbling. Apparently, penguins will offer small stones to one another as a sign of affection. It’s their way of saying I choose you, I like you, you matter, and possibly, let’s build a life together and raise little penguin babies who waddle dramatically into the sunset. And when I read about this, I had one immediate thought: Oh, no. I’m a penguin. Not the c

Like a few others I’ve talked to about this, I lie awake for a while before I get up. Not because I’m still tired or because I don’t have things I want to do with my day or even because I don’t have to go to the bathroom quite yet. No, I stay there because a sense of dread accompanies my waking. The dread is neither predictable or always definable. Often, admittedly, it has to do with politics and the state of our country. Sometimes it is about people I’ve dreamed about or fr