The month of April has come and gone, but its poetic spirit still lingers in my heart. April is National Poetry Month. And as it happens, William Shakespeare was born in April (as was I, tee-hee!) By reading and writing poetry, my prose writing improves. I learn the importance of choosing the most impactful words. […]
Poetry Is An Echo…asking a shadow to dance (Carl Sandburg) Read More »
Knowing that I often write about ghosts, people ask me if I’ve ever seen a ghost. Well… I have never seen a ghost, but I have felt one’s presence and have seen unmistakable signs of his presence. Several of my very grounded and level-headed family members and friends, however, have actually seen ghosts. But those
Have You Ever Seen A Ghost?…Well… Read More »
Clichés. We all use them in everyday conversation. They are shorthand phrases that we employ when we don’t have time to spell out what we mean in greater length. Sometime, often long ago, a clever person coined a word or phrase that was worth repeating. The problem for writers is that readers often see these
how Cliché…a Short-Short Story Read More »
Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is a word you may have heard or read about recently. It originates in Scandinavia, especially in Denmark, and my simplified definition is “all things cozy.” Actually, simplicity is at its core. It means to step away from the complexities of life and embrace whatever it is that brings contentment—making you comfortable
Hygge Hugs…what we need right now Read More »
One of the perks of being a grown-up is giving yourself permission to indulge in some childhood fantasies. And judging how many adults love my middle-grade Zephyr Stone novels, I’d say there’s a fair population of those in touch with their inner younger selves! Now, when the holidays have transformed your home into Willy Wonka’s
Cookies for Breakfast…a New Year’s Diet Read More »
A few years ago, residents of a home in the historic district of our 300-year-old town of Edenton, North Carolina, went against the traditional, “tasteful” grain of most of our outdoor Christmas decorations. They festooned their front-yard, bare-branched tree with strings of multi-colored lights, blinking ropes of lights, and neon-bright dangling lights in what appeared
Gaudia—Gaudy—Joy…to the world! Read More »
Today, as I and most of the world wait on tenterhooks for the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election, I read a news article about the Voyager 1 spacecraft probe, launched back in September 1977. It explained how NASA is instructing it to turn off and on various components to attempt to extend its
Pale Blue Dot…a nonpartisan view on Election Day Read More »
As I face my computer screen to write this month’s Blog post, my mind and heart are filled with the heartbreaking images of so many who have been affected by the recent Hurricane Helene and its path of destruction from Florida through my home state of North Carolina and up into Virginia. Our beloved mountain
Hope…is a tattered flag and the thing with feathers Read More »
Oh, Happy Day! We have sweltered through a miserably hot, muggy, buggy summer here in northeastern North Carolina, but a shining light beams forth on the calendar as brightly as the Harvest Moon: “Fall Begins, September 22!” Although there will be plenty of sweaty days ahead, at least the calendar gives one hope. And, so,
And So It Begins…all things pumpkiny! Read More »
Recently, I’ve been asked why I write books for the middle-grade readership, those roughly between the ages of 9-12. My reply is that this age group, spanning the bridge between childhood and young adulthood, represents the betwixt and between phases of life that we all inhabit throughout our lives. We so often find ourselves in
Betwixt and Between…a different kind of B&B Read More »