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One Week to the Publication of The Letters in the Books
Dear Eva, Lily, Reid, Dimitri, and Meg, It seems our time together has come to an end. The five of you have been living inside my head for more than two years now. It’s been a wonderful journey, but I’m afraid it’s time to let you go. As the world is spinning out of control and there are a lot of horrible things happening out there, it was a pleasure to tell this story and remind people that there is goodness out there, and that people have the capacity to choose the path to kindness. I will not soon forget the time we have spent together. But all good things…
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The Process of Getting to a Book Cover
My newest novel, The Letters in the Books, is just weeks away from launching. I’m super excited about this one, as it was two full years in the making. Writing is a labor of love for me, and I just want to tell a compelling, yet sweet story that’s perfect for a beach read. This book was heavily influenced by Brené Brown’s research on empathy and shame. I have read her books and watched her TedTalks a million times. Her work on empathy and vulnerability in particular are interesting and worthy of your time. I tried my best to roll her findings into Meg, the empath and bookstore owner at…
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On the Eve of My Son’s College Graduation…
Well, the day has come. Our first-born child, Matthew, will be graduating from college tomorrow, so if you’ll permit me, I’d like to reminisce for a few moments. (You can also pass me a tissue…) So many of us are at this point in our lives. They always tell us that time marches on and waits for no one and to enjoy every moment you can. And yet, here we find ourselves embarking on a new chapter in our lives. We have raised kids and are beginning to (or some of you already have) send them off into the world. As I see my friends on Facebook posting graduation photographs,…
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Friday Fodder: My Obsession with Letters & Journals
If you’ve been following my blog for a while, first, THANK YOU. Second, you may have read previous posts about writing letters and letter writing, because I’m obsessed with the notion of letter writing. And, you’ve probably also read many posts here about keeping a journal, most recently the one I wrote about keeping a journal during a pandemic. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: Are you going to print out a text feed or email chain and save it in your memory box? The likelihood of that is slim to none. The lost art of letter writing is truly a loss of records. When someone takes…
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My Favorite Villain
The other day in class, one of my students told me that he decided to re-watch Game of Thrones. We’ve talked about this show before in class. He then told me which characters he would like to play in the show, if he ever had the opportunity. Of course, he picked some of the good guys. He almost fell out of his chair when I told him that I would want to play Cersei Lannister. “She’s my favorite character on the show.” “You’re kidding! She’s so bad!” he exclaimed, wide-eyed and surprised. “I know. Wouldn’t it be fun to play someone like that? She’s just so darn rotten.” And she…
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Watch Your Step, Distracted Walking Can Cause an Injury
Yesterday on my ride to work, I learned some startling statistics about distracted walking. The ironic part of the study are the statistics, that go something like this: In the United States, 78% of adults believe that distracted walking is a “serious” issue. But the humorous part is that they believe it’s the “other people” who are committing this hazard. Only 29% of those polled said that they, themselves, do it, too. From AAOS.ORG Additionally, 4 out of 10 people say they have watched a distracted walking incident happen, and 26% of people admit to having been in a walking accident themselves. Truthfully, this is no laughing matter. In fact,…
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Sunday Positive Thoughts (Post The Chosen)
It’s been nice to hear that many of you were inspired by my recent post about how moved I was by the The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his disciples. I’m so glad that you have decided to watch it. Certainly, with what is happening in Ukraine right now, combined with it being the Catholic Lenten Season, as I often say out loud, we could all use some of Jesus’s teachings of kindness and love right about now. Additionally, instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to focus on doing positive things. The first is that I downloaded the Hallow…
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Podcast 5: What I’ve Learned From Reading Other Authors
The Podcast: The Transcript: When I was a child, my mother says I was always on the move and didn’t really have the patience to sit and read a book. I would read, but as I moved into my teenage years, other things were occupying my time, and reading wasn’t one of those things. Fast forward to high school and Ms. Susek and my creative writing class I took. It was the one class I could really sink my teeth into. I loved that class, and it fostered a love of creative writing that I still hold today. As you heard in last week’s podcast, I went back to school…
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Every Once In A While, A Show Captures Your Heart: So It Was For Me & The Chosen
Let’s start at the beginning. I was raised Roman Catholic. My own children went to Catholic school for many years. When I visited Rome and the Vatican, I had a powerful moment of union with my faith as I stood in St. Peter’s and realized that the real St. Peter is buried beneath the altar, the true Rock upon which Jesus built his church. As I stared at Michelangelo’s The Pietà, tears came to my eyes, as they did in the Sistine Chapel. There are moments in our lives that bring us closer to the teachings of Jesus and God. They can be awe-inspiring. Last year, when my children asked me…
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5 Questions Writers Are Frequently Asked
Sometimes we have to lighten up our day with a little humor to help us along. Right, writers?
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Book Review: The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
Last night I started reading Mitch Albom’s newest book called The Stranger in the Lifeboat. I finished it this morning. I adore Mitch Albom’s knack for telling a good story. Years of journalistic writing make him an exceptional, concise, tight storyteller. His books unfold with ease, with just the right amount of wonder combined with thought-provoking content. The plot of this book is this: In a dire situation if you called out for God’s help, would you believe in Him if a human form appeared and said He was the Lord? Such is the case with a yacht that goes under at sea and only a handful of people survive…
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Writing Away
I haven’t been as diligent about writing for my blog as I have been in the past. It makes me feel a little guilty, because I’ve always put so much energy and time into my blog. However, there are good reasons for my absence, so allow me to explain: The semester ended in mid-May. I can honestly say that after working in education throughout a pandemic and teaching a full load + of courses online, it was more challenging than normal. Obviously, we have all been affected by this situation and our work lives were altered quite a bit, but the energy it took to produce, deliver, and grade remotely…
