Hello, All Readers and Stargazers, This July marks thirty years since my trip to beautiful, ivy-covered Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. My then eleven-year-old daughter and I had the honor of attending a three-week science symposium there in the summer of 1992. I was part of the San Diego educators’ team. One of many…
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, 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, 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…
Hello, Movie Lovers! One of my favorite pastimes is watching movies from and studying the history and bios of The Golden Age of Hollywood. As you might guess, I have a book collection to nurture my hobby. There is something timeless and enchanting for me about Hollywood movies from the 1930s, ’40s, and ’50s. Many…
Dear Kids and All Readers, For many, summertime is ICE CREAM time. But did you know that the frozen treat has an interesting history? Kathleen Kalb from Facebook’s Cozy Mystery Village (of which I’m a villager) posted some fun historical facts about how ice cream came to be. She got the information from #goodreads in…
Dear Readers, I had the privilege of watching a thought-provoking Zoom symposium today, sponsored in part by the San Diego Public Library Foundation and the Robert Frost Society. It was entitled A Symposium on Poetry and Power: An Online Screening of the Documentary Film, JFK: The Last Speech. Featured were President John F. Kennedy giving…
We’ve arrived at the fifth and final installment of my Post-Pandemic Keeper Habits. Last time, I discussed “Remain Good Friends with my House.” Here is Number Five: 5. Embrace the Writerly Solitude. I have gotten comfortable with the stereotypically solitary writer, holed up at my desk, with my dog and my house cheering me on. Ever hear…
