What’s the last book you’ve read cover to cover and LOVED? If you can’t answer this question, maybe you’re not reading enough. And if you’re not reading enough, you may not be getting the benefits of reading, which include these scientific facts below. Reading makes you more empathic Reading helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease Reading makes…
Writing About Women + Friendship in Little Milestones
For the past several years, I’ve watched a PBS show called Call the Midwife. It’s a series based on the memoirs entitled Call the Midwife: A True Story of the East End by Jennifer Worth, a district nurse and midwife who was living in the East End of London during the 1950s. The show intermingles…
A Little Teaser for My Upcoming Novel: Little Milestones
*** Well, I’m officially getting excited! As I posted a few weeks ago, I finally decided upon the name of my fourth novel, LITTLE MILESTONES, and I have a first draft of the cover. When it gets to this point, it begins to feel as if things are coming together. I’m sharing the first cover…
Treating Your Hair To A Day Out
I have a few complaints about the middle-aged years, such as my bad back and newfound wrinkles, but one additional item for the list is how your hair changes as the greys come in. So today I DID A THING! I got the Keratin treatment on my hair and it’s amazing! Nancy at Park Salon…
Stay Positive, Writers!
It’s the first day of summer break for me, and that means it’s time to dust off my work in progress and hunker down. I’d really love to have this novel done by the end of summer. However, in doing so, there are challenges. It’s really easy to tell ourselves that our work is mediocre…that…
The Postcard & Other Short Stories Earns Finalist Award in 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards
Finalist | Short Stories | 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards YOU GUYS!!!! Am I allowed to be a little excited for a moment? I was thrilled to learn on Friday that The Postcard and Other Short Stories & Poetry received recognition as a FINALIST in the 13th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards! This is the…
Weekly Recipe: Chicken, Turkey Sausage & Kale
Chicken, Turkey Sausage, and Kale This week, it’s a healthy meal so we can fit into our bathing suits (well, some of you might be able to … I’ve got a ways to go). Anyway, it’s Chicken, Turkey Sausage & Kale, and the video above will tell you how to make it. More specifics…
When Things End
Another semester is in the books, as our university will host graduation ceremonies this Thursday. My grades are just about closed out, and the sun is shining outside, marking the beginning of summer for those of us professors in higher education. I love teaching and being in the classroom—for me, it’s all about that. Waking…
The Postcard Gets 5-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite
Honestly, it’s been a pretty rough 2019 for so many reasons, but seeing this review this morning from READERS’ FAVORITE put a big smile on my face. It’s when I read something like this that I know that despite all the work and effort it takes to be an independent author, it is all worth…
Our Italian Red Sauce Recipe
Hello, readers! Today, I’m posting a recipe, and I think I’m going to add this as a weekly feature during the summer (now that my semester is almost over). This recipe has been handed down from my mother-in-law to me. I’m going to post the handwritten recipes for you, so you can see exactly how…
The Wonderful, Wacky World of Writers
I’m just gonna put this out there because it makes me sad: too many people are not reading. They are spending their time on other things, which is great, but I would like to see the average books people read a year climb (see a piece I wrote last year about average number of books…
I Was “One of Those” People
*** The past three Mondays when I’ve walked into class, I’ve been greeted with wide-eyes and inquisitive looks on the faces of my students that suggest…WELL???? WHAT DID YOU THINK???? I’d like to tell you that my darling students are eager to discuss public relations writing, but at 9 a.m. when I walk into the…
