I was the new kid in sixth grade. Again. Funny glasses. Funny name. Some misguided kids who felt the need to write notes to tell me I wasn’t welcome at Paramount Park Elementary. But the yuckiness only lasted about a week because that’s how long it took our teacher, Mr. Craig, to cast his spell…. Read more »
I’ve just finished reading Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s newest book, The Way Home Looks Now. Two thumbs up! It’s a story with lots of heart, sadness, hope and baseball. One of the plot points has got me reflecting on my growing up. As a terrible athlete, I never personally felt the pinch of those days before… Read more »
Maybe you’re too young to remember the expression, “What in the Sam Hill?” (it pretty much means “what in the heck?” only not heck). I always thought it was inspired by the Sam Hill who made a fortune in the mercantile business, and was a “good roads” advocate (and the son-in-law of railroad magnate, James Hill)… Read more »
This isn’t too far back, but I am so grateful to these women: Susan Hill Long, Barbara O’Connor and Augusta Scattergood. I invited them to Shangri-Lar just last year for a writing retreat (some of us didn’t even know each other!) and out of that we produced 4 books, all to be pubbed in 2016…. Read more »
From this day forward, I am never going to write about strong female characters again. Even though I consider myself a feminist, a dear friend recently pointed out an insidiously subtle social value I’ve been perpetuating. In my defense, I think I might be forgiven for it: I am a baby boomer, after all. Raised… Read more »
As I have confessed elsewhere, I haven’t always been an historical fiction fanatic. As a middle-schooler, my daughter got me hooked on reading this genre by introducing me to a lovely duo of books by Jennifer Armstrong: The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan, and Mary Mehan, Awake. Even though I enjoyed reading historical fiction, I certainly… Read more »
Today would’ve been my father-in-law’s 95th birthday. Ted Larson was about the kindest man I have ever met. When I first whispered aloud my dream to be a writer, it was Ted who brought home a spare IBM Selectric (self correcting!) from his office for me. I will never forget that vote of confidence. He… Read more »
I’ve been immersed in WWII for research for the new book, mostly home front stories, but I came across an amazing slice of history that happened 72 years ago today. 2nd Lt. Elsie S. Ott was put in charge of the first-ever air evacuation of wounded soldiers, in this case from Karachi, India, to Walter Reed… Read more »