-
Back Among My People—The People of the 1980s
* Last night, some friends and I went to see a band called The Reagan Years in Annapolis. By their name, you can probably guess that they specialize in covering 1980s music to an audience who thoroughly appreciated it. As a music lover—and one who lived through and sported big hair, wore black Madonna rubber bracelets up the arm and a see through mesh top with a black bra, and can name every MTV original v-jay—I was one of those people who relished every moment of the show. It reminded me that I need to download some stuff I don’t have: Billy Idol, the Outfield, Morris Day and the Time…
-
In Honor of Teacher Appreciation Week & A Thank You to My Students
In the laundry room on Pointer Ridge Drive in Bowie, Maryland, where I grew up, my parents hung my large blackboard I got for Christmas. The laundry room was a good size, and the perfect place for me to set up my schoolroom. My aunt had given me a grade book she used when she was a teacher, and at the age of eight, I began practicing to be a teacher by writing on the board, planning lessons, and marking the imagined students’ grades in my grade book. Mrs. Schuman and Ms. Cosby were my fourth grade teachers, and I watched how they conducted the class. I wanted to be…
-
Springtime in Annapolis
This morning I decided to do a little research for the novel I’m working on—yes, I’m writing again, and I’ve got two chapters under my belt thus far. However, despite the fact that I’ve lived in the Annapolis area for quite a while, I wanted to take a stroll along some of the streets I don’t normally walk around when my daughter and I shop down there. We typically hit Main Street and the Annapolis Dock, get an ice cream or coffee, and wander around the shops. Today, I stayed up by St. John’s College and Maryland Avenue, popping in and out of Prince George Street, King George Street, East…
-
Midnight Madness in Annapolis
Last night was the second of three scheduled Midnight Madness events in historic Annapolis. The city looked beautiful, the weather was mild, and shoppers were scouring stores for holiday treasures. Next week is the last one, so if you live in the area, don’t miss out!
-
#Annapolis with #nofilter
Today’s blog post is a photo essay of the afternoon spent with my daughter in Annapolis. Even in this near 100 degree weather, the photos—all taken with my iPhone and with no filter—represent this city well…one of my favorite places on the planet. Annapolis is so near and dear to my heart, and my first novel entitled Beneath the Mimosa Tree, pays homage to my hometown. Many readers of the novel have told me that they felt as if Annapolis was another character in the novel, which is quite flattering, I have to say. My goal was to make you fall it love with it on the written page as…
-
Baseball Girl Receives Some Hometown Press in Annapolis
Thanks to my friend Tim Thomas, writer Sarah Hainesworth, and photographer Paul Gillespie at The Annapolis Capital for running this great feature story on Baseball Girl in Sunday’s Life section. I’m so happy they were willing to get the word out about my second novel. Thanks for the support! Click here to read the article in The Capital.
-
Blogging for the Annapolis Film Festival 2015
I’m absolutely thrilled to have been asked to be one of the bloggers for the upcoming Annapolis Film Festival scheduled for March. Having returned to the Annapolis area after residing in Baltimore and then Ellicott City for many years, it is my pleasure to promote such a worthwhile event. Likewise, my first novel entitled “Beneath the Mimosa Tree,” was set in my hometown, where I set out to glorify our beautiful city of Annapolis. In short, I have a love affair with our city, and am happy to do anything I can to help promote it. Therefore, there is no better way to pay homage to Annapolis than to participate…
You May Also Like
Friday Fiction: Strike Out
-
Overworked? Overweary? Overstressed? Take A Day Trip. It Does Wonders.
There are a plethora of reasons why we need to get away from it all, if only for a few hours. We are overworked, overstressed, overweary, overextended, overtaxed, overstimulated—just plain over it. And thus, the good “doctor,” whomever that may be—a friend, a spouse, a mother, a father, a child, a healthcare provider—tells us to step away from the demanding rigors of our lives and take a day for ourselves. Coincidentally, it also happens that I showed my feature writing class the film “Roman Holiday,” a film in which Audrey Hepburn, playing a princess from a nameless country, decides she’s had enough, and takes her chances as she goes incognito…
You May Also Like
Friday Fiction: Strike Out
-
Pomp and Publicity
Lots of Happy News to Share Today… POMP I wanted to thank Deborah over at The Container Chronicles for nominating me for Blog of the Year 2013. It’s such an honor when a fellow blogger likes, recognizes, and nominates your work, especially when you have a great deal of appreciation for her work as well. As a nominee, it is my job to nominate someone in order to spread the love… I’ve decided to nominate a fellow blogger, writer, and friend, Jack Flacco. Jack’s blog has become more streamlined and focused, and it’s something I’ve toyed with over the past year. He is a great example of taking a blog…
You May Also Like
Friday Fiction: Strike Out
-
The View from Pendennis Mount
My dear friend, Debbie, posted this gorgeous photo a few weeks ago on my Facebook page and said, “This is the area of the Severn River (in Maryland) I picture is the kids’ houses in ‘Beneath the Mimosa Tree.’ Am I right?” Indeed you are, Debbie. I’m sorry to bombard you, readers, with photographs of Annapolis scenery this week, but the weather is amazing here right now, and the sky and the water are just breathtaking. In the novel, Michael and Annabelle live in Pendennis Mount. When I attend book clubs and discuss the novel with folks who have read it, people often ask me if that’s the neighborhood where…
You May Also Like
Friday Fiction: Strike Out
-
Where I Can Breathe
As my husband and I strolled around Annapolis on Sunday night–our first date night in many, many moons–we were stopping to take photographs. The city looked amazing; the sky was a blue that’s tough to forget, and there were few clouds on the picturesque canvas. There’s something about being near the water. Quite simply, I can breathe when I’m there. And it has to do with the water: it’s the way it looks, the way it smells, the way it shimmers, and the way it rolls and dances. I feel like an entirely different person when I’m there. I wouldn’t have written a contemporary romance novel set in in Annapolis…
You May Also Like
Friday Fiction: Strike Out
-
Thank You, Annapolis Capital
When I got the call from my hometown newspaper, The Annapolis Capital, I was jumping up and down. After months of hoping my they would cover my novel, BENEATH THE MIMOSA TREE, I got a call from the lovely Theresa (Teri) Winslow. We met in Severna Park at The Breakfast Shoppe, and four days later, the article appeared on the front page of the Lifestyle section and on the Book Worm blog. Having the Annapolis Capital (click here to link to the original story) cover it was truly a thrill. When I decided to set my novel in my picturesque hometown, the one thing I hoped for was some press…
