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An End-of-Year Letter to Readers
Dear Readers, Today, I’m going to start with one of the highlights of the year, and it has been handwriting letters to readers. I’ve handwritten over 100 letters to readers thus far. Without a doubt, this has been one of the most fulfilling aspects of being an author, for without readers, we are lost. When I published The Letters in the Books in July, I knew I wanted to do a special promotion with an independent bookstore. (If you order through Amazon or B&N, there are no letters inside). As well, since the protagonist of my book, a bookstore owner, handwrites uplifting letters that she slips inside books, I wanted…
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A Writer’s Muse: Annapolis
Hello, Readers! Happy Holidays! I hope you are all doing well, despite our circumstances. I’m writing to you today, on Friday, at the end of the semester. Yesterday, all my grades were entered, and the semester has officially ended. While it wasn’t a perfect semester, I believe the students and I got through most of the important material we needed to cover, and I’m excited for the spring semester. Which leaves us with the space between now and when the semester begins in January for me to work on my novel. I love that space when I get to write—to really write. It’s exciting to dive in and begin to…
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Baseball Nostalgia and Baseball Fiction
✨THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY LIFE✨My parents & familyMy husband and kidsHigh school & collegeWorking in baseballBeing a teacherFriendships.✨THINGS THAT HAVE MOST AFFECTED MY STORYTELLING✨Broken lovesGrandmothersLife in baseballRelationships (good & bad)Losing people we loveMaryland’s beauty . BLACKBIRDS PARK is the fictional version of Camden Yards in my novel entitled Baseball Girl. I worked at Old Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards for the Orioles (hence the Cooperstown bear pictured here, a gift from Orioles owner Mrs. Angelos). I’m somebody who can feel romantic about places and about baseball. This novel is loosely based on my life working in baseball, an amalgamation of the people and places I loved over the…
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Saying Some ‘Thank Yous’ This Thanksgiving Season: A Reflection
Thoughts and a Reflection on Thanksgiving In my humble opinion, the best four days of the year have just passed. The four days of Thanksgiving weekend are always my favorite time of the year. We are permitted to just stop and reflect for a few days, spend time with family, and in our home, begin the Christmas traditions we set forth when the kids were babies of cutting down our Christmas tree and decorating for the holidays. For the last several years, I’ve cooked the Thanksgiving dinner, with sides provided by my mother and mother-in-law. This year, the pumpkin pie and apple crumb pie were ordered from Kirsten’s Cakery by…
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First Book Signing for Little Milestones Scheduled for Skipjack’s in St. Michaels, Nov 24th
Hooray! I am so excited about this! Skipjack’s in St. Michaels will be carrying my book, and has asked me to come and do a book signing. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than meeting the folks in St. Michaels over coffee, treats, and a shared love of the town. St. Michaels has always been a special place, and it was an honor to set my novel there. I hope you can make it–and do some holiday shopping while you’re there! xx
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Twilight and Twinkles and Travel
* As I tell my students in the special topics in travel writing course I teach, travel happens as soon as you step outside your door. Day trips, afternoon trips, and evening trips can all be wonderful experiences, especially when you’re sharing the time with someone you love. It can also be great to go exploring by yourself. In our local travel writing class, students often pick Annapolis as their spot. I love to read about my hometown from their perspective, some of them only visiting Annapolis for their first or second time. As I’ve grown up in this area and have spent lots of time cavorting and entertaining in…
