“Where words fail, music speaks.” — Hans Christian Andersen Courage. What is it? I’ve never truly understood it, especially in childhood when I knew whatever it was, I didn’t have it. I remember a speaker at our assembly period in school starting her presentation by announcing that bravery wasn’t the same thing as courage. Undoubtedly seeing a… Continue Reading
“Acquaint yourself with your own ignorance.”—Isaac Watts Excerpt from Book Three of the Emily Alden Trilogy— “Speaking of adventure,” she said, a lilt in her voice spilling excitement, “aren’t you just back from the Middle East, John, or was it Turkey? Wherever you were, I imagine you have some rich tales to tell of… Continue Reading
“Things have never been more like the way they are today in history.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower It’s been almost a decade since I decided to satisfy my curiosity about Emily Alden and Corey de Koningh. Emily was lost and alone, suffering from an overwhelming fever in a huge bed in a strange house not her… Continue Reading
“Nice and easy does it every time”— Sixto Rodriguez How do you write about a social gathering of any kind in a novel? It could be a meeting at work, a party with friends or even a traditional family get-together. It’s extremely hard, whether your character comes into a room or space after everyone else,… Continue Reading
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” –James Baldwin There are many books out now about the subject of family—against the background of the pandemic; or in other centuries; perhaps within different cultures; or at different times of one’s life. Clearly this is a structure… Continue Reading
“What is past is prologue.”—William Shakespeare That query produces either giggles or groans from the exhausted parents in charge of navigating to grandma’s house—or anywhere else that’s taken a long time. My grandmother told me that wasn’t something her parents had to deal with, because children of her day didn’t grow up with automobiles. Carriage… Continue Reading