“The tongue has no bones but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.” ~Anonymous Words. As a writer, I love them. They are how I share stories with readers. As a reader, I love them. They are how I dive into stories and go off on adventures with characters or how I find out about …
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove… but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” (Forest E. Witcraft) Since churches all around are having Bible Schools this month and I let Jocie …
Jocie Brooke here reporting from Hollyhill. It’s Bible School time in Holly County. That’s great for Dad’s paper since all the churches have been putting ads in the Hollyhill Banner to get kids to show up at their Bible Schools. I know some kids that make the rounds of Bible Schools in the summer. I used to go to two …
When you Google the word honeymoon, up pops 266,000,000 potential links. I was just trying to find the origin of the word, but I could have found many, many great places for a honeymoon. No, I didn’t just get married. I’m not even writing about a honeymoon. Well, wait a minute. On second thought, I do sort of have a …
What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language. ~Jane Goodall I invited you all to ask me a question about me or my writing last week. And a couple of you took me up on it. Whenever I give a talk about my books, the part I always like …
It’s first Sunday Hiker Devotional Day. In the spring, hiking in the fields and woods is close to perfect. The grass is sprouting and turning the winter brown world fresh and green. The delicate wood anemones and twin leaf wildflowers pop up through last fall’s carpet of leaves and bloom at the first kiss of the spring sunshine. Walking through …
Creativity is always a leap of faith. You’re faced with a blank page, blank easel, or an empty stage. (Julia Cameron) I’m often asked about the writing process. Of course, every writer has his or her own way to get stories down on paper or computer screen and eventually into a book. But I once invited people to ask …
Happiness is a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. … Nathaniel Hawthorne July 1 was my third adjusted deadline for my current work in progress, An Appalachian Summer. I did not want to request a third extension so I’ve been doing a lot of staring at …
Outtake – a scene or sequence filmed or recorded for a movie or program but not included in the final version. With a deadline looming this weekend I’ve had to stick to business and edit, edit, edit. That’s because, as usual, I used too many words to tell my work in progress, now with an official title, An Appalachian …
“We can learn so much by observing the way our pets rejoice in life’s simplest moments. For a dog, every morning is Christmas morning. Every walk is the best walk; every meal is the best meal. Take time every day to celebrate the many gifts that are hidden in the ordinary events of your life.” – Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer …