An Interview with Cara Sue Achterberg
I’ve never met Cara Sue Achterberg in real life, but if I did, I think we’d be fast friends. She describes herself as “an irrepressible writer, a curious cook, a lazy gardener, a loyal friend, a dog trainer in training, and an occasional cowgirl.” With a set of interests as diverse as those, she’s sure…
Read MoreEven More Words for the New Year 6
I’m more than willing to call myself out when I make a mistake. And friends, oooh, did I make a mistake last year! I chose to focus on these words (these words!): What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet. —Anne Frank Um, really.…
Read MoreAll I Want for Christmas . . .
This year hasn’t been easy for anyone. (That’s probably a gross understatement, of course.) And I think the stress of this year, whether overt or subtle, has gotten to me in ways I didn’t expect. Because today, as I sit at my computer and think about all the things I might want, or need, the…
Read MoreAn Interview with Abigail Swanson
Interviews are some of my favorite posts to put together, mainly because I’m excited about the authors I choose to interview. Today’s interviewee is a real pleasure to feature: Abigail Swanson is a current high school student and daughter of a college acquaintance. Abigail’s older brother, Jonathan, was born at thirty-one weeks with Cornelia de…
Read MoreRecipe Sharer
I recently proofread a cookbook, which was an experience in and of itself. Making sure all the measurements corresponded, that the hours and minutes and servings were consistent—a perfectionist’s nightmare, actually. On the other hand, the task appealed to that organizational side of mine so much, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. (And I’m…
Read MoreFear
My nightmares usually involve something chaotic: fog that splinters into a million pieces, cylinders that appear at random intervals, imposing pine trees with branches that aim to mutilate, shots of color that seem to cover everything. I’m not sure where the dreams originate, and I don’t have them too often, but when I do, I…
Read MoreSacrifices
We’ve all had to make sacrifices this year (that might be a very big understatement for some of us). But for the most part, I’ve been lucky. And even though we have six people at home for much of the day (Tim goes into work because he has his own office in which he can…
Read MoreAn Interview with A.J. McCarthy
Award-winning author A.J. McCarthy is one prolific woman. She’s been writing since 2004, when she wondered if she could write a better book than the one she just read. Indeed, she did, and she hasn’t looked back. Her fourth novel, By the Book, released November 12, and she’s all set for her fifth, Faux Friends,…
Read MoreRainbows and Roses
Almost exactly four years ago, I wrote about my expectations for then President-elect Trump. While I didn’t vote for him in 2016 and actually had very low expectations of what he could do and what he would do, I wanted to be the better person and see him strive for something better. I wanted to…
Read MoreSixteen (Wild and Precious, Part II)
Dear Aaron, Here we are, November 1, 2020, and I’m not really sure how we got here. It feels like eons since last year at this time, and yet, it also feels like I just blinked, once. Like with the closing of my eyelids, we moved forward in time at a speed so fast, I…
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