Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of trips to the library when I was growing up. Summers especially when my sisters and I would get a new stash of books each week when our Mother went to town for the weekly shopping. Living way out in the country, this was our treat and our escape. I still love …
Ane Mulligan and Chapel Springs Revival
Mention the name Ane Mulligan, and a number of images comes to mind. Fiery red hair. Heart of gold. A smile that lights up the universe. Friend. Mentor. Co-founder of Novel Rocket, one of the best writing blogs around. To me she’s all of those things, but also patient, kind, funny, and soul mate. To know her is to love …
Summertime Adventure
The summer after my junior year in high school, my parents let me take a trip by myself to California ON A BUS. Trailways, to be exact. I left from a tiny town in the TX Panhandle (the nearest bus stop). Destination: Barstow, CA, where Aunt Pat and Uncle Dall would pick me up for a month-long visit. I can …
Books of Summer
What is it about summer and books that just seem to go together? My personal theory is that it goes back to my childhood and all of those trips to the library in the summer. Since we lived 15 miles from town, we couldn’t just pop over there whenever we wanted. So once a week, on Mother’s shopping day, my …
Oh, the places you will go . . .
I’ve not been to Machu Picchu, Peru nor the Galapagos Islands, but my book has! A dear friend and her husband take an exotic trip every summer around the time that my books release, so being the dear friend that she is, Linda tucks my newest title (The Hatmaker’s Heart this year) in her luggage and takes it on adventures …
Writing Process
My good friend and writing buddy, Judy Christie, invited me to join in with a blog hop that’s going around. Good friends are like that . . . they share when they have good ideas. Judy is the author of the popular Green series, the Hurry Less, Worry Less Series, and the fun new Trumpet and Vine Series. Thanks, Judy, …
Jazzy Hatmaker’s Heart Giveaway!
There’s nothing quite so sweet as the release of a new book, of holding it in my hands for the first time and getting a whiff of that new paper smell. In a blink, the late nights at the computer and the months that were at times agonizing are gone. It’s not unlike holding a human baby and forgetting the …
Saying Goodbye
When I first moved to Tulsa and began looking for a writing group, I happened upon the Tulsa NightWriters. “We are an eclectic group of published writers and soon-to-be published writers,” the president said from the podium. And from my first visit, I felt embraced by this group of seekers – sharing craft and promotion ideas, encouraging one another on …
The First Saturday in May
This coming Saturday is the 104th renewal of the Greatest Two Minutes in sports – the Kentucky Derby. Twenty thouroughbred horses will make the “run for the roses” before a crowd of more than 100,000 people at Churchill Downs. The crowd will include celebrities and people from every social strata who come for the excitement, the food, the glamor, a …
Culinary Fun! A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge
From the time I first heard Hillary Manton Lodge’s news that she was writing a series of culinary stories, I’ve been waiting (not too patiently) for the first one to release. I was thrilled and honored to be able to read an early copy and write this endorsement: Warm, witty, and a culinary delight! Hillary Manton Lodge’s crisp writing …