Appalachian Blessings
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Book to Movie
One of my favorite books in recent years is Serena by Ron Rash. I wrote about it here. Rash, a poet, has a way of writing that almost makes me want to give up trying to do it myself. He writes prose with a poetic flavor that I find irresistible. It's just yummy. And...
Signs, signs, everywhere signs
It's the first day of February and daffodils are already blooming in the neighborhood. My hostas are sending tightly furled leaves poking up through the soil and I saw a buttercup smiling up at me from the dead lawn last week. My head tells me it's too soon for all...
Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho . . .
I've been attending a study of the Book of Joshua that runs through February. Last week we read chapters 3 and 4 and next week, we'll look at chapter 6. The jumping ahead is fine. But I HAVE to read chapter 5 even if we aren't going to discuss it specifically. And,...
The Sophomore Soar!
Since first sticking a toe into the publishing world, I've often heard about the dreaded "sophomore slump." An author's first book does reasonably or even very well, then she chokes and book two falls short. Well, it may be a common problem, but it's surely not...
Breaking New Ground
Last weekend I took Thistle for a walk in the woods. Our next door neighbor has 40 acres, much of it on the mountain that rises behind our house, and we are welcome to ramble there. The next neighbor beyond that property also has a chunk of land that we walk on. It's...
The Unexpected Pleasure of Buying Bread With My Husband
Last week I had lunch with friends and on my way back to the office I passed a shop where I knew my husband planned to pick up some steaks for supper. As I stopped at the light closest to the store, I tried to see in the window, thinking he might be there, even at...
Doing Research with Both Hands
Food is a central theme in all of my books. Maybe because it's such a central theme in my life! At one point, one of my characters was going to be cooking on a wood stove. I ultimately moved the timeline forward and he got an electric range, but I felt...
Do You Have Time for Beauty?
About five years ago, The Washington Post conducted an experiment. They convinced Joshua Bell, one of the world's greatest violinists, to play at a Washington D.C. Metro Station. He stood against the wall at the top of the escalator and played for 45 minutes during...
Meet Sarah
