Blog Text Box

The alternative to the cascade style. Text box appears to be cleaner that would make to any minimal website.

Ideas–Sounds from my Heart

May 26, 2006 As a writer of stories for children, I often have the opportunity to go into classrooms and talk to kids about writing. “Where do you get your ideas?” they all ask. From things that really happen, from my own childhood, from watching you, I tell them. But what I often think about, […]

Recurring Sounds!

A Sound from My Heart May 30, 2006 As I write, whether it’s a short story for my Pockets series, or a chapter for my current novel, Two Moon Journey, I find recurring themes weaving in and out, some big, some small. (My writing group accuses me of putting chocolate chip cookies in almost every […]

And A Little Child Shall Lead You

June 15 I’ve just spent a lovely week with my daughter Deb and our 19 month old grandson, Weston, visiting from Santa Fe. Weston is learning to talk, and it’s amazing what he does with his somewhat limited vocabulary. He tells entire stories with just four words. “Ball?” he says to me. Ever the compliant […]

The Write Weather

June 26, 2006 It’s hot, hot, hot outside, but I am comfortably cool! I’m downstairs, hunkered next to the computer, with the tiniest breeze wafting through my office window. It’s the right time to write! Okay, I admit it, when our young adult son zoomed by an hour ago to pick up his swim shorts […]

Sounds from my friend’s heart

July 21, 2006 We’re sizzling here, in more ways than one! It’s 90 degrees in our house right now, and we Northwesterners wilt once we hit 80. (I know, no sympathy from the rest of the country, where many of you have temps well over 100 degrees today. ) But the REAL sizzle, the wonderful […]

Half-Full Moon. Half Cupful of Wisdom

August 2 A beautiful perfect half-moon as I walked a few minutes ago, and the faint fragrance of wild roses, remembrances of long ago summer evenings. Tonight it’s cool, even a little breezy, but I’m still thinking of a red-hot evening two weeks ago, when I got to listen to Katherine Grace Bond read from […]

Party Time!

September 12, 2006 Wow! It’s great fun when old books get new life. This coming month (October) marks the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. And that means that all over the U.S. there are celebrations and commemorations going on as the Hungarian people remember an event that shook the entire world. It just […]

A Party to Remember

October 13, 2006 Wow! Last night at Parkplace Books was an evening to remember. Over 150 of you attended–the store was packed! Sandor Boldishar brought his homemade sausage sandwiches (Seattle Times featured him yesterday, holding up a rack of his freshly made sausages.) He and his wife Christine brought trays of Beigli as well, a […]

Starting Over

Those of you who’ve been checking in have noticed it’s been a long time since I’ve posted a blog entry. There’s a good reason.On October 23rd, just ten days after my last posting, my beloved husband of 42 years entered the hospital, seriously ill. He died November 24th, the day after Thanksgiving.This blog is not […]

Putting it All Together–Life and Writing

I find myself always searching for ways to integrate all the many parts of my life: my family–those dear grandkids whom I never get enough time with; my writing, ditto, my church sharing group, those ordinary business-y things like grocery shopping and paying the bills, a time for solitude, journaling and prayer. Not necessarily in […]

Santa Fe Musings

Wow! I’m not doing so well with this blogging thing, despite all my good intentions. But here we go again. I’m just back from a wonderful 11 day visit with my daughter and son-in-law in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and with my exceedingly brilliant 2 1/2 year-old grandson, Weston. I know all grandmas think their […]

Down in the Valley

Yesterday, we made a family trip to Rattlesnake Lake. The crew wanted to hike to the top of Rattlesnake Ledge. Part of me wanted to get to the top too, even though that sheer cliff drop at the top made my hands clammy to look at it. As it turned out, I wound up hiking […]

Dreams In the Night

This whole thing of finding ideas for our stories can be a challenge. There are ideas everywhere, of course, but which ones will have staying power? Which ones will hook into our hearts in a way that we’ll have the energy to finish that story we started with such eagerness. In my next few blogs […]

Stretching Our Horizons

I’m writing this week about an Inuit girl, Buniq, stepsister of Sammy in my Starbird Ridge series. I’ve discovered a wonderful word: silatujuq. It’s the Inuit word for one who is wise, and it translates literally, Endowed with a Large Sky. Isn’t that great? I think of a visit we made to Montana a few […]

Walking in the Rain

The last day of September–how did that happen? It’s pouring rain here in Seattle–so nicely seasonal, I have to smile. My grandson Jordan (age 9) and I just walked down our hill and back up with umbrellas and lots of good cheer. I’m guessing not too many folks would be wildly excited about an hour-long […]

Robert’s Snow!

This blog is a bit longer than usual but with good reason! Something wonderful is happening all over the United States now through December 7, and I have the joy of being part of it, thanks to Anni Matsick, my illustrator for our Starbird Ridge story series that has been running in Pockets Magazine (www.pockets.org) […]

The Snowflake is Coming! The Snowflake is Coming!

This is a quick note to let all you faithful readers who have been emailing Anni and me that you are indeed right: Our Snowflake is not yet available to view on the Robert’s Snow website. Yes, it is scheduled to be in the first auction, as described in our Blog Interview below, and yes, […]

The Snowflake has Arrived!

Yippee and double yippee! Our Snowflake is finally posted on the Robert’s Snow website. Anni just emailed to tell me and we are both thrilled that it is finally up. If you’d like to take a look, go to www.robertssnow.com, click on View 2007 Snowflakes, click on Auction 1, November 19-23, and scan down. Anni’s […]

Home for Christmas

I’m home again! Since I last blogged, I’ve spent ten days in Maui (with 3 grandkids, nine, three, and one-year) as well as 11 days with my 3 year-old grandson Weston in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And now I arrive home to our Pacific Northwest gray drizzle–but my heart is singing! There are Christmas lights […]

Four Calling Birds

It’s the fourth day of Christmas (yes, I do count the 12 days–that’s the only way I get my cards and cookies done during the season.) So today we celebrate four calling birds, and I’m pondering–what are the Four Calling Birds for me for this coming year? In my mind I see a white dove […]