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…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I just approved the final color version for the cover of Walnut Street: Phantom Rider, Book 3 in my Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries series, launching November 9. I must say that it’s stunning! The cover is being finalized by Dane, designer from eBook Launch, who has done the covers for my…
Hello, Kids and all Readers, I have just returned from Virginia where I helped welcome and care for my second grandchild–a baby boy, this time. Whoohoo! My daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, granddog, and I welcomed Baby Flynn on May 29. He’s a happy, healthy little guy who already has us wrapped around his tiny fingers and…
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…
I present to you the fourth installment of my Post-Pandemic Keeper Habits. Last time, I discussed #3, “Revamp the Exercise Routine.” Here comes Number Four: 4. Remain Good Friends with my House. I’ve loved living in my nearly one-hundred-year-old house for three decades. But did I really know it down to its nooks, crannies, and floor…
Here is the third installment of my Post-Pandemic Keeper Habits. Last time, I discussed “Practice Ethical Actions and Random Acts of Kindness.” Here comes Number Three: 3. Revamp the Exercise Routine. I used to go to the Y twice weekly for yoga, strength training, and cardio. Then, it shuttered. Undaunted, though it took me a while…
Dear Readers, Here is the second installment of my Post-Pandemic Keeper Habits. Last time, I discussed “Making Do.” Here is Number Two: 2. Practice Ethical Actions and Random Acts of Kindness. I’m a bleeding heart. For me, it’s incurable, but that’s fine. I had just released my first book right before the Lock Down occurred last…
Dear Readers, All of us have spent over a year now dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in our own ways. Perhaps like me, you have watched others—from a safe distance—in order to gauge how they have coped compared with yourself. I know I have learned some new, beneficial habits from admirable neighbors, family, and friends.…
Dear Kids and All Readers, In May, I will be traveling to the East Coast for the birth of my grandson. Even though I’m fully vaccinated, I have to quarantine for ten days at a hotel before the big event. (I’ll spare you the good reasons.) Instead of fretting about the isolation that some experience…
Dear Kids and All Readers, I hope all of you are as lucky as I am to be surrounded by kind, cheerful neighbors! In my neighborhood, about thirty of us of all ages gather on the First Friday of each month for a potluck dinner and good conversation. One family hosts per month. Usually, it’s…
