Window Over The Sink

“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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

I'd been in a bit of writer quicksand. Several books that are works in progress got stuck in the messy middle. I needed a palette cleanser. What to do?

by Darlene Fredette Some readers may remember Secret Recipe’s earlier incarnations: Nothing to Lose and A Recipe for Forever . Both versions were heartfelt romances about a girl down on her luck, searching for love and a fresh start. I adored the core of that story, but something in my gut kept whispering that Jess deserved more. More depth. More secrets simmering beneath the surface. So, when I regained the rights to the book, I finally had the freedom to explore that ins

Because it's already Saturday morning and this page is still completely empty, I'm going to do what I did on another blog earlier this week--make a list. On that one, I listed some days in my life. On another one I dug up, I asked other writers what their favorite writing tools were. I've listed favorite books, favorite songs, and favorite movies. Since memory is such an issue for me--what was your name again?--today I'm listing memories that are still sharp in my mind. They

An interview with Author Karina Bartow 1. What is your favorite thing about yourself? And your least favorite? My favorite thing is that I can usually have a genuine laugh once a day, at least, through thick and thin. It makes life a lot more pleasant to find humor in various matters. My least favorite thing is I don't have a poker face, which makes it difficult to—obviously—play poker, pull off a surprise, or handle conflict well. I’d much rather laugh, if the circumstance

Yesterday, I washed the towels, went to a doctor's appointment, stopped and bought a gallon of milk, dried, folded, and put away the towels, changed the sheets, took the ornaments off the Christmas tree, thought about taking the recycling to the school, fed the cats twice, fixed supper, and ran the dishwasher. If I add all of those things up, not including the hour and a half or so I spent going to the doctor and buying the milk, I probably have another two hours of actual do

by Debra Jo Myers Winter. Many people love the beauty of snow falling, while others dread it thinking about shoveling or driving in it. We’ve had measurable snow already this winter, I thought it was a good time to talk about the wonder of snowflakes. Snowflakes are intricate and unique displaying stunning geometric patterns creating delicate works of art. You can find them in a variety of shapes, depending on the temperature they encounter falling through the atmosphere. No

by Cathy Shouse Since it’s the day after Christmas, I thought it would be fun to talk about toys, both the ones we were given and those we have given. I got the idea from a blog post I read recently. It made me think about toys in a new way. My family always made Christmas morning fun, and toys were a huge part of the excitement. We got “Santa” toys that were not wrapped every year. I’m thinking now the sacrifices they might have made to do that for three kids. I researched