I have completed reading two good books the last couple of weeks, and I want to talk about them in a bit. But first, I want to discuss a couple of the writing projects I'm excited about. I just completed writing Classroom Guides for my two middle-grade fiction books, Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb … Continue reading The Stories We Read and Write
Category: Biography
Wild and Sweet the Words Repeat
As a child and a teenager, I had little memory of a time when the Vietnam War was not raging, a time when the draft hung precariously over the heads of young men, their futures hard to plan. Of course, through the years, many such times have existed. The world can be a dark and … Continue reading Wild and Sweet the Words Repeat
Harry S. Truman, Part 2
Truman sculpture at entrance to the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library. Harry Truman, born in Lamar, Missouri, did not begin his life in Independence until he was six years old and starting to school. Rather his very early life was spent with his family on his grandmother ‘s farm, but he was always to consider … Continue reading Harry S. Truman, Part 2
Harry S. Truman and Independence
While in Missouri a few weeks ago, my husband and I made a beeline for Independence, a town on the outskirts of Kansas City and the home of former President Harry S. Truman. We enjoy going to Presidential Libraries, and I had long looked forward to making the trek to Truman’s in Independence. I was … Continue reading Harry S. Truman and Independence
Literary Texas: Sandra Cisneros
I am a woman, and I am a Latina. Those are the things that make my writing distinctive. —Sandra Cisneros In 2015, Texas State University's Alkek Library acquired Sandra Cisneros’ literary archive. The archive, housed at the Wittliff Collections, includes manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, journals, and numerous other items pertaining to her life and work, a … Continue reading Literary Texas: Sandra Cisneros
A Long Journey Ends with a Special Memory
I must admit that I have been looking for a shortcut to writing this blog lately. I usually would have already written another post by now, but the last days and weeks have been busy and tiring. I have several writing projects going on right now and am in the midst of checking edits for … Continue reading A Long Journey Ends with a Special Memory
Why We Write
The very reason I write is so that I might not sleepwalk through my entire life. Zadie Smith I have just completed the Pike’s Peak Writer’s Conference in Colorado Springs. No, it was not atop the famous mountain. I am high-altitude and deep drop-offs averse, though admiring the snow-crested Pike’s Peak with my feet firmly … Continue reading Why We Write
Literary Texas: John Graves
Texas State University in San Marcos owns an interesting item, for an institution of higher learning, that is. It is an old, maple canoe paddle and is highly valued there. "The paddle, part of the university's Wittliff Collections of papers and artifacts from Southwestern literature, was used by John Graves on a trip down the … Continue reading Literary Texas: John Graves
Literary Texas: Larry McMurtry, Part 2
The main building of McMurtry's famous bookstore Booked Up. Who would think that Larry McMurtry’s world and that of Chip Gaines’ (former star of HGTV’s Fixer Upper) would ever collide? But as of December 2022, it has. More about that later. Larry McMurtry left Houston and Texas in 1969. By this time, he had published … Continue reading Literary Texas: Larry McMurtry, Part 2
Literary Texas: Larry McMurtry
Archer City's "Last Picture Show." I have a confession to make as I write this piece. I have read only one book by Larry McMurtry and that a nonfiction book titled Paradise. I cannot now find the book (a common problem for me) nor can I remember it well. I did, however, see the movie … Continue reading Literary Texas: Larry McMurtry