Nobody can do for little children what Grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle starcust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley Today was Grandparents’ Day. It’s not something that is recognized that much. I think that’s because most of the time grandmothers and grandfathers are usually included on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Usually, though, I do try to …
Several years ago, I did an interview with a writer who said he never reads fiction. He didn’t like fiction. He wanted to read true stories and obviously thought fiction a waste of time. I have to admit, when I’m reading this I wrote about that interview some time ago, I’m wondering why in the world he would be interviewing …
The farmer has to be an optimist or he wouldn’t still be a farmer. – Will Rogers Most of you who read my posts here know I’m a farm girl. I grew up on a farm and have lived on a farm all my life. While my husband has retired from farming, we still enjoy farm living. A young farmer …
“One doesn’t have to know everything about one’s destination when one begins a journey.” (Quote from The Song of Sourwood Mountain) I shared about how I helped Mira come to life to share her story in The Song of Sourwood Mountain. Once she came to life for me, then in the very first sentence of the book I threw her into a decision …
When I begin down the road to a new story, usually that trip starts with deciding who is going to be walking that road with me. I have to come up with characters to bring my story to life. For my recent release, The Song of Sourwood Mountain, I started with a female character who was going to at some …
This is a common flower here on the farm, but one I’m finding out tonight that I didn’t know all that much about. I grew up calling it cornflower, maybe because it’s a weed common in corn fields. That’s a guess. It turns out that common chicory has many names. It is also known as blue daisy, blue dandelion, blue …
When writing a book, I, as do all writers, need to keep the focus on the main story and not slide off into side scenes. Sometimes I see these scenes when I’m editing and sometimes my editor points them out. The scenes and paragraphs of extra information aren’t bad, just not necessary to the story. I don’t want a reader …
Did you ever play with a June bug? That’s the bug in the photo. I don’t like those little brown hardshell bugs that are drawn to lighted doors or windows at night. They used to find a way to get through the window screen in my bedroom when I was a kid and buzz around the room. I just knew …
One of the things I’ve enjoyed when I head to the hills for a new story is being able to hear my characters talking. I grew up country. Not mountain. But many of the expressions I’ve come across when researching for my Appalachian stories rang with familiarity for me because I’d heard them pert-nigh (pretty near) all my life. I …
When I recently sent out a newsletter with an invitation for readers to tell me about their favorite pets. Most of those who entered my giveaway didn’t share storeis, but some of them did. I enjoyed every one whether I shared the story forward or not. A good dog or cat or horse or bird story is the best. I’ve …