How I Chose My Novels’ Titles
Many readers have picked up on the theme behind the titles of my historical novel series, which all come from the lyrics to “Amazing Grace.” But it wasn’t a straight-forward path to titling them. Originally, I intended to find the titles for the books (which originally was only one book) from the lyrics to “The […]
A LIFE OF JOY is Published!
I have finally published A Life of Joy, the seventh and last book in my series about the Oregon Trail and the settlement of the American West! I hope those of you who have been reading my series enjoy this story. It’s taken a bit over two years to write and edit, but in the […]
No More Recipes
My husband and I now live in a retirement community. Our apartment has a full kitchen, complete with garbage disposal, electric range, oven, microwave, and dishwasher. The kitchen was one of the selling points for the unit—it’s got everything the kitchen in my last house had, except an instant hot water tank (which I really […]
My Grandfather’s Clock Chimes Again (I Hope)
I have written several times about my grandfather’s clock. I have had it in my home since 2015, after my father died. I’ve lived in three places in the last ten years, and I’ve brought the clock with me to each new home. Unfortunately, the clock didn’t fare well during our move from Kansas City […]
But It’s a Dry Heat
My husband and I traveled to Spokane again last weekend to visit family. It was only 64 degrees for the high temperature in Seattle the day before we left, but we knew it would be hot in Spokane. And sure enough, on Saturday, July 12, the high temperature in Spokane reached 91 degrees. To me, […]
A Bittersweet Fourth of July
Last Friday was our first Independence Day in Seattle. The staff at our retirement community fixed an opulent mid-day barbeque for the residents—roasted pig that went on the fire well before dawn, chicken legs and ribs in tangy sweet sauce, veggie burgers for those who didn’t want the real thing, macaroni and cheese, salads. And, […]
Historical Novel Society Conference 2025 (Virtual)
Last weekend, I was able to attend the virtual version of the Historical Novel Society of North America’s conference. The live version was in Las Vegas, but I wasn’t able to travel there, nor did the prospect of Las Vegas in the summer really appeal to me. This was the third virtual HNS conference I […]
The Trial of Susan B. Anthony
This month is the 152nd anniversary of the trial of Susan B. Anthony for voting in the Presidential Election of 1872. Several women suffragists showed up at various polls around the U.S. to vote on Election Day, November 5, 1872. One of them was Abigail Scott Duniway in Oregon. A more famous suffragist who voted […]
Diminishing Returns in Editing My Work-in-Progress (Which Means I’m Close!)
The last time I wrote about my current work-in-progress was in mid-March. At that point, I had finished Draft 3, and was starting Draft 4. In the three months since that post, I finished Draft 4 (during which I had Word read the book aloud to me), and then I sent the manuscript to seven […]
A Visit to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park operated by the National Park Service. Like most NPS sites, this was a treasure, albeit a small one. I knew from the research I did to write my current work-in-progress that Tacoma became a railroad boom town in […]