Overachiever — a person who achieves success well above the standard, expected, or average level—often performing beyond what is typical for their age, experience, or measured aptitude. Or a dog if that dog happens to be a dachshund. Dachshund – Heart of a lion, Brain of a fox, Body of a sausage, Bark of a Doberman One of the …
“Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.” (Margaret Chittenden). Today is National Authors Day. I know that because I saw it on Facebook, and when …
Hunting Strange on Main Street Hello. Jocie Brooke here reporting from Main Street, Hollyhill, Kentucky where everything seems pretty ordinary the same as every day. My fellow reporter, Wesley Green, thinks I’ll spot something strange to report here in our new venture, the Hollyhill Book of the Strange. But I’m still thinking the Book of the Ordinary would suit our …
What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore, it knows it’s not fooling a soul. ~Neil Gaiman, American Gods My hometown is small. It has a three block downtown area. More businesses spill out around it. Out on the bypass, more businesses draw people. …
“Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts.” Coleman Cox When I was a young girl, maybe ten, I discovered a joy in stringing words together to write a story. I loved words. I loved reading. I loved writing. I didn’t love talking …
“The setting in a book is as much a character to me as the people who populate the story.” ― Joie Lesin A story has to have a setting whether that place is real or imagined. It can be an actual place with a name and a history or one imagined with or without a name and with whatever history …
Back when I was writing my Hidden Springs mysteries, I hadn’t had a cat for years and years. When I was a kid, cats were always around. Barn cats. Farm cats. My mother even had a cat she let in the house. When I was a kid, I was surprised at that, but Mom loved Maggie. My favorite aunt was …
Often when I do a book talk and share about my Shaker books, people, usually women, say how they can’t imagine why anyone would be a Shaker. I have some of the same feelings as they do because I can’t imagine giving up my individual family to live in such a group where all are to act and live as …
In 2008, my first Shaker book, The Outsider, was published. I eventually wrote seven more Shaker books. The Refuge is the last Shaker book I’ve written. Since I’m having a giveaway here for that Shaker book, this seemed a perfect time to share once again some of the sayings attributed to the Shakers. I liked being able to includes some …
I love it when some of my books are on e-book sale for super low prices. Right now, all three of my Hidden Springs mysteries are only 99 cents at many online booksellers, Amazon, Kobo, B&N along with others.Or you can go to my website and check out the link on my book pages for my Hidden Springs Mysteries, Murder …