5 Starting Points for a Writer’s Research

“Did you have to do a lot of research?” When I have opportunity to do an author interview, this is a common question. It arises because my Avenue of Dreams series is historical and my Valley of Choice series has an historical thread that intertwines the contemporary story. Readers I speak with in person are […]
How to Stop Sneezing from Taking Over Your Life

Spring allergies are smacking me in the face right now. Hard. Relentless. Merciless. I would take a deep breath if it were physically possible. Sometimes the most mundane things can knock you off your feet, literally and figuratively. Cough, sneeze, blow, sigh. So I’ve pulled out medications that I don’t need over the winter, and […]
Installment 15 (Final): The Corner Trumpet
Twenty-nine August 1952 I had pretty much decided that I hated the heat in Arkansas in August. I was nineteen and had lived every August of my life in that that heat, but I’d read enough to know that it wasn’t like that everywhere, and I dreamed of someday living some place that didn’t feel […]
Should Have, Could Have, Would Have
What is your favorite electronic gadget?

This is a once-upon-a-time story. Once upon a time, I owned a VCR. The decision to spend the money to buy our first such machine was no small event. Everybody we knew had one already. We’re not what you call early adopters either temperamentally or financially. But we got one and enjoyed the marvels of […]
Installment 14 The Corner Trumpet
Twenty-Seven March 1943 Daddy went to see the preacher and the funeral director the next day and they decided to have the funeral on Tuesday morning. The Navy said Charlie could have a full military funeral, but Mama just wanted a graveside service with the family all there and Charlie’s friends from school if […]
Installment 13: The Corner Trumpet
Twenty-Five March 1943 One day in the middle of March, Mr. Spooner was too busy to give me a lesson. Besides, he kept saying that I’d been such a fast learner that he didn’t have much more to teach me. I didn’t believe that. Anyway, since it was early and Daddy wasn’t finished at the […]