>The Year of Reading Pleasures

>One of the gifts I’ve given myself this year is permission to read great novels and not get waylaid by trying to catch up on the books I should have read and didn’t quite get to. Yes, some of those shoulda, coulda, woulda books are still on my “waiting to be read” shelf, but some are not. Here’s why: On …

>Reading in 2010 – What a year it was!

> For a few years now, I’ve kept a running list of the books I’ve read throughout the year, and it’s always a pleasure to read back over it and remember the wonderful hours when I’ve been swept away into another world. This year had a different mix than in years’ past. Not sure why as my tastes haven’t changed …

>Merry Christmas!

> “And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace.”  Merry Christmas Everyone!  May you have a joyous, safe Christmas as you celebrate the birth of Jesus.

>Old Friends and New: Book Signings Part Two

> I went through all twelve grades with Angie Last weekend, I returned to another of the “home fires” – the town where my parents grew up and where my sister and dad still live. Although the times I’ve actually lived there have been short, it’s where I come home to – where many of my relatives lived and died. …

>Old Friends and New: Book Signings Part One

>I’ve wanted to write this post for a long time and talk about book signings. I’ve had a flurry of recent ones, and these have been quite personal since they’ve taken me back to the “home fires” parts of the country. Chasing Lilacs is set in the Texas Panhandle. I grew up there. My roots go deep there. It’s not …

>Chasing a Dream

> I’m guest blogging on the FaithWords blog today about my writing dreams. Here’s a snippet. As a young girl in Texas, I didn’t think of my life as being anything but ordinary. My dad worked in a petroleum plant. My mom sold Avon so she could save up for a piano and pay for lessons for my two younger sisters …

>Much to be thankful for

>Before this month of traditional thankfulness slips away, here are a few things for which I’m grateful. My dear hubby, Max, who somehow, year after year, plods along with me, taking all my quirks in stride. And this fall, he scarcely batted an eye when I announced that I wanted our new entry doors to be painted red. Five coats …

>Random Thoughts on Books Alive! 2010

> The authors from Books Alive! 2010  It always takes me awhile to process an event, so even though I’ve officially been home from Jefferson for three days, the memories keep bubbling up. In the end, the Books Alive! weekend embodied all the things I hold dear. I think you’ll understand after reading my random thoughts. HISTORY: First of all, …

>SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS AND TROOPS

> My dad (2nd from right) during the 1930s My dad grew up in Oklahoma during the Great Depression, the second of six children. Raised on a farm, he has talked about doing without and once marveled at how his mother could feed a family of eight with only one can of salmon. He was too young to enter WWII, …