Dear Teachers, Parents, and Readers, Recently, I shared to my personal Facebook page a friend’s thought-provoking post. It was from a public group on Facebook called “Compass Group,” which I have joined. It has 219K followers. In addition to some stunning nature photos from around the world, there was an article about the four types…
Dear Kids, Teachers, Librarians, and Parents, I have spent part of yesterday and today preparing for one of my favorite activities as a children’s author: a school author visit! Tomorrow, February 11, for forty-five glorious minutes, I will have the privilege of joining virtually fifty-two fifth graders and their two teachers in Pennsylvania. I’ve smiled…
Dear Kids, Gardeners, and Lovers of the book The Secret Garden, I recently received an article from a dear friend (thanks, Deb!) dated October 30-31, 2021, from The Wall Street Journal, page C11. It is entitled “A Blooming Genius,” by the WSJ’s children’s book columnist, Meghan Cox Gurdon. She was referring to the British author of The…
Dear Kids, Educators, Families, and All Readers, Do you remember John Hancock? He was a wealthy Massachusetts businessman and one of the earliest and most outspoken American patriots calling for independence from Britain in the 1770s. He was public enemy number one to General Thomas Gage, commander of British forces in the colonies, so his life…
Hello, All Readers, During the ongoing pandemic, I have spent much time at my desk writing. But when I am not writing, walking, or playing with my dog Jimmy Lambchop, I read. I must admit that sometimes, I prefer books (and dogs) to people. How about you? I can forget my cares–usually people related–and get…
Hello, All Readers, and Happy New Year! Since January marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next in our current western calendar, it’s little wonder that its name derived from Janus, the ancient Roman god of gates and doors. It was believed that Janus held the key that could unlock the…
Hello, All Readers, and Happy New Year’s Eve! For all reading’s purposes we could recount, reading should never devolve into drudgery, in my opinion. If we’re lucky, reading will mostly be for pleasure. distraction, comfort, and escape. I must admit that those are the primary purposes or qualities I seek as a reader, but also…
Hello, Kids and All Readers, Continuing last week’s blog about Viktor Frankl and his practice of “Self-Transcendence,” (moving from the Self to the Other), I’d like to share this fun and potentially meaningful game with you. It’s a Gratitude Scavenger Hunt! For me, one way to shut down the pity party and focus on my…
Hello, All Readers, Tuesday, December 7, 2021, was the 80th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. You might be wondering why I, a children’s author, am blogging about this. Here’s part of the backstory: Since December 7th is also my birthday (but not the same year as the attack!), I was called “a Pearl Harbor…
Hello, All Readers, I have been invited to present at the San Diego Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ (SCBWI) chapter meeting on December 11. The topic is what I learned as a result of hybrid publishing with Acorn Publishing. Whew! Sooo much. I made of list of all the topics and tasks I was…
