Fort Union National Monument stands as a reminder of the cultural clashes that occurred during the westward expansion of the United States. 5 minute read. Kid friendly. A visit to the Monument invites entry into an important part of the history of the Santa Fe Trail. I’m eager to visit as I do research for
Anne Hathaway’s Cottage as seen from a garden seat. A walk in Anne Hathaway‘s Cottage gardens got me to thinking of Badger, bees, and re-wilding. The cottage and gardens are kept open by The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. My daughter works there and was stationed in the cottage garden the afternoon I visited. The gardens of
Mark Twain was a writer who loved cats, maybe better than he loved many people. When he was on vacation he rented kittens. The Clemens home was one where cats were welcome. 3 min. read, Kid Friendly.
2021 marked the 200th Anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail. First and foremost a trade route, it began with a man hard-pressed for cash: William Bucknell. (2 minute read)
Grace Willis, girl protagonist in THE BLACK ALABASTER BOX doesn’t want to go West on the Santa Fe Trail. She’d much prefer her safe, comfortable life at home. She is no invincible super-girl. But when faced with a crisis, Grace does what needs to be done. Like most of us–girls and boys incuded–Grace doesn’t always
This past weekend my daughter, granddaughter and I made what has become an annual fall visit to Weber Cider Mill Farm to buy pumpkins and to enjoy some of the activities. Amelia and I did the maze together. Looking at it now, the picture feels like a metaphor for life as a writer! I wish I
The Mad Artist at Work isn’t about being angry, but about how doing chapter illustrations for The Last Crystal helped with the history behind the books. Author, Frances Schoonmaker, talks about her writing, illustrating, and research process. 4 minute read. Kid friendly.
What’s in a book launch? I’m getting ready for THE BLACK ALABASTER BOX Book Launch on April 5th so I’m thinking about it a lot. I think about launching a rocket—will it fly? I think about launching a boat—do we break a bottle of champagne over the book or over me? Children are invited, maybe
When I began work on The Alabaster Box my granddaughter, Amelia, was of enormous help. I tried chapters out on her and we talked through issues. It was like having a junior editor. I asked friends, Isaiah and his mother, Sarah VanTiem, if they would kindly read it once I had a good draft. Isaiah is
“Where did you get the idea for the book?” This is one of the questions Mrs. Schmidt’s class wanted to know when I visited her 5th grade class. It’s a good question. Where do ideas come from? Writing is different for every writer. Many writers say you should write from experience. You write from who
I have better things to do than fill your inbox, but I will update you on news, such as Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer’s nomination for an Agatha Award. It was one of five finalists–an incredible honor.
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