Thanksgiving by the Atlantic Ocean

A glorious week writing and gazing at the ocean from our house on Hatteras Island filled my memory book. Kaze Gadway and I spent most of our time working on a book we are writing…short stories about the times in our lives when we have been confronted by the...

Montreat

Last week an unusual treat came my way. I’d enrolled in a one day conference at the Montreat Conference Center near Asheville, NC. Before that day, I had the privilege of traveling first to Greensboro to see John and Lynda Cock. In addition to an evening of...

Death of a Friend

It is hard to lose a friend, even when the death is long expected…as in Fred’s ALS. The story of Fred Lanphear’s journey and death is an inspiration to us all. As Kaze said “that’s the way to die.” Rod and I have been telling each other Fred...

A Conference for Authors and Agents

After weeks of sending letters and emails to agents (the process of finding a publisher) about Curious Cooper’s Hawks, my narrative non-fiction book for middle grade readers, I took a weekend off to learn what I should have been doing. The Writers League of...

A New Story: Trees and Memories

Trees and Memories One night lightening killed a friend. All right, my friend was a tree. Lightening struck the large maple beside our driveway and I knew I was losing something special.  Red-bellied woodpeckers lived in a hole in that tree which doubled my love for...

Learning about Owls

We just returned from Minnesota and time with kids, grand kids and three precious great grand kids. On Saturday evening our son, Ben, took us to a reception and program titled “All About Owls” at the Carpenter Nature Center south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Walter Conrad...