Processes and Thoughts This morning I woke up at 5:30, lay awake a bit, and then got up and made coffee. Eventually I made it to my home office by 6:30 a.m. I sat down and got to work on a children’s chapter book/short novel (the 4th book in my Ranch Girl series) I’ve been … Continue reading Writing Processes, Thoughts, and Other Ramblings
Tag: Texas
Elizabeth Crook, Sharon Creech, and Ann Patchett
I’ve been out this morning watching the deer watch me. At about 6 a.m., I made my coffee and took it outside to go on a stroll around the premises with our cats. The early morning on our farm/ranch is perfect these summer days, and I can’t help but admire God’s lovely handiwork. We had … Continue reading Elizabeth Crook, Sharon Creech, and Ann Patchett
The Stories We Read and Write
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
Making Progress in the World of Words
The Storytellers, Nacogdoches, Texas Carl Sandburg, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner in Literature, once said, “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.” I find this an optimistic view about doing. Sometimes we have to start doing. In my previous blog post (“Spring Resolutions: Reading, Writing, & Blogs”), I made … Continue reading Making Progress in the World of Words
Our Daily Work: Ranch Girl and a Boy Named Toby
Of Books and Festivals
It seems that fall and book festivals go together, at least in Texas. I have had the joy and honor of being a featured author at The Texas Word Wranglers Festival in Giddings in September, have signed in the Writer’s League of Texas booth at the Boerne Book Festival in October, and will likely sign … Continue reading Of Books and Festivals
Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough
I finally finished reading Dorothy Scarborough's The Wind, a novel that caused quite a stir in West Texas when it was published in 1925. I say I finally finished it because I started it months ago and then stopped reading right in the middle. It was not that I had lost interest in the story … Continue reading Literary Texas: Dorothy Scarborough
Checking In
It has been over a month since I have posted on my blog. I used to write four or five blog posts per month, and I hope to get back to doing that before long. I want to continue my Literary Texas series at some time. I love doing it, but the time involved in … Continue reading Checking In
The Road —Finally—Taken
On our way to Tulsa recently, my husband and I experienced serendipity. That is, we had a chance, unexpected occurrence that turned out to be enjoyable and, in our way of thinking, an advantage to our well-being. I love that. What happened? We had to take a detour. Yes, as simple and annoying as that. … Continue reading The Road —Finally—Taken
Spring’s Eccentricities
In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."--Mark Twain I do believe that Mark Twain must have spent a good many springs in Texas. Spring won't be officially here for several more days, but it is already up to its shenanigans. Even before February waved its final goodbye, … Continue reading Spring’s Eccentricities