I recently had a chance to see the movie Philomena starring the brilliant actress Judi Dench in the title role. In addition to being touching and entertaining this movie makes a very important and profound point about what constitutes true intelligence. All too often people assume that the smartest folks are automatically those who hold… Read More
This is actually my favorite part of the holidays. The decoration I love the best is my nativity by Fontanini. We set it up the day after Thanksgiving and keep baby Jesus hidden away until Christmas morning. When my kids were little we’d rotate years as to who would get to place Jesus in his… Read More
When it comes to Christmas time getaways, I must admit I’m a big fan of stay-cations! With the house all decorated and so many things going on in the area from light displays to concerts, sticking close to home makes sense, especially with our dogs and cats! They are part of the family and like… Read More
The Christmas season is my favorite time of year. It’s the one time of year I don’t mind shopping, even though I’m elbow to elbow with grouchy strangers, sweating in my winter coat and warm boots, watching my bank account dwindle like a dying fire. I don’t mind Christmas music, even though it’s often simple… Read More
As I ponder the appeal of Amish stories, I think I can best illustrate it with two very compelling images: the image of a family gathered at the dinner table, and the image of a family seated in a church pew. Faith and family are the essence of Amish life—the unshakable foundations of that life—and… Read More
I’ve reached that magical age. My birthday was last week and instead of mentioning my actual age, perish the thought, I called it the anniversary of my 29th birthday. Since I stole this idea from a friend of mine, I bequeath its use to you. The beauty of this approach is you can be as… Read More
I always get a little nostalgic around Christmas time—longing for a simpler, gentler time when Christmas wasn’t commercial. That was one of the main reasons for writing my Lady Georgie book, THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS. It’s set in a little English village in Devonshire. Stone cottages, a brook running through it, a hunt on… Read More
Top ten reasons you don’t want to enter a baking contest against Phyllis Newsom: 10. Your conversation at the Pearly Gates with St. Peter: “All I did was knock on her door!” 9. All of your dirty little secrets are no longer secrets. 8. You wind up on the TV news and your hair is… Read More
In our family room my husband is watching a Hallmark movie about a gorgeous judge-cum-shampoo-model in a small coastal town where no one locks his door and all the parked cars have keys in them. A thieves paradise, yet the crime rate is barely above 0 (and that’s because sweet old Mr. C is losing… Read More
I’ve noticed that a lot of readers are interested in inspiration. That is they want to know where a writer gets the idea for a story. I’m so happy to be back on Writerspace to talk about my sexy holiday release, REVVING UP THE HOLIDAYS and where that muse came from. In general, with the… Read More
‘Tis the season for some darn fine reading! Here’s the list of Writerspace Top Shelf Authors with releases that are sure to give you a reason to sit next to those stockings you’ve hung by the chimney with care and enjoy some stolen moments of reading pleasure in between wrapping presents: Second Chance Pass (A… Read More
My husband and I just spent a fabulous week by the ocean with four other couples. We ate guacamole, played way too much pool volleyball, goofed off on the beach and generally relaxed. The trip home was smooth until we reached Terminal 5 at LAX, and a car accident occurred outside. All chaos broke out… Read More
On my recent trip to Rome to finish researching St. Cecilia’s life for my historical fiction novel, Virgin Martyr, I spent some time at the Temple of Vesta and the home of the ancient Roman Vestal Virgins. One of my purposes in writing this book was to investigate how attitudes about women’s sexuality and social… Read More
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