Dancing with Dandelions Gift Basket Winner! What’s the best thing about going to a book release party at My Favorite Books and getting a copy of Paisley Memories and Dancing with Dandelions? It’s entering for a drawing to win a gift basket! A gift basket is the next best thing to chat with people about besides your newest book that you’re promoting. Seriously, guys. Who can pass up an opportunity to win something for free! A local antique store in…
CLEARING THE DUST OFF MY ANCESTORS Today I decided to plunder through some old pictures on the top shelf of my closet. It was time to start clearing the dust off my ancestors. Occasionally, on lazy afternoons, I enjoy looking at my ancestors and comparing the photos with information that my mother compiled from her genealogy research. Some of the photographs are professional photos. Others are random snapshots of summer picnics, a trip to a beach, hunting, or posing with…
CHOCOLATE LOVERS UNITE! Today, March 6th is National Oreo Day. Oh Yeah! Time to celebrate something that started over a hundred years ago by The National Biscuit Company, now known as Nabisco. A day to forgo the diet, healthy eating, and treadmill. I remember as a child taking as many Oreos as I could in one hand and with my ice-cold glass of milk in the other hand, I’d sit at the dining room table. Are you a Dunker or…
How I get my story ideas Motherhood, thirty-one years of marriage, family, friends, strangers, overhearing conversations when sitting in restaurants, and my boxers. These are how I get my story ideas. Motherhood I could fill an entire book on the crazy things I’ve heard my kids say over the years. Everything from “I’m a woman and I’ve got knees”. (She meant to say needs, but she said what she thought she heard on television and touched her own knees when…
Writing Retreat – St. George Island, Florida. What does one do in January in Florida? A writing retreat on St. George Island, of course! This is my first official writing retreat. I’d been Facebook stalking fellow writers as they posted pictures of previous retreats to St. George Island. I was green with envy. SOME UNBELIEVABLE STORIES HAVE TAKEN ROOT IN THIS HOUSE! I took the plunge and paid the retreat fee with several other writers who deemed themselves “Sisters of…
Morning Walk While everyone was still sleeping, I went for a Thanksgiving morning walk. I slipped out to make sure the rain had stopped and saw Cooper-Clyde patiently waiting by the window, making sure I didn’t leave him behind. I put on my inexpensive sneakers, leashed up Ruby and Cooper-Clyde, and slipped out the front door into the chilly, overcast morning. This is not my usual routine. I’m usually rolling over to snuggle with my husband about the time my sneakers made…
Writing, Editing, Proofing, Oh My. Sometimes writing is like walking the yellow, brick, road with Dorothy and Toto. “Writing, Editing, Proofing, Oh My.” This month is National Novel Writing Month. Known to writers as NaNoWriMo. The goal is to get a novel written in thirty days. You heard that right, thirty days. I have a hard time deciding on a purse to purchase within thirty days, and you expect me to write a novel? Several well known authors benefited from NaNoWriMo….
Sleep Deprivation Is No Joke- Overtime started at my day job, so did sleep deprivation… For the first time EVER, I decided it would be a great idea to do it. Right there, I should have known I wasn’t in my right mind. But the thought of $$$, and an upcoming writer’s retreat in January convinced me otherwise. This is me after day seven. Coffee became my best friend. I considered dipping into savings for the writer’s retreat by day ten. As…
CERAMIC PIGGY BANK Did you own a quirky, old fashion, Ceramic Piggy Bank? I had one as a child. Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters dropped in the thin slot on the piggy’s back. Did I break that piggy bank when it was full? No way! I emptied it, spent the money on bubble gum, books, and started over. Not all piggy banks had the opening at the bottom, and many had to be broken to get the money out. I matured…
Pyrex. Keep it, don’t sell it. Sell my Pyrex? Never. My parents were given this set as a wedding gift, minus the red bowl. The gift-giver had the same set, and had broken the red one and decided to keep it. My mama made to-die-for potato salad in the yellow bowl. I found the red bowl at a yard sale years later, and gave it to my mama. She finally had a complete set! That was the beginning of my love of…