In reading the eulogies for 81 year old Senator John McCain, what resonated was how he faced his final fight. He knew his brain cancer carried a death sentence. He did not deny or avoid, but planned for the end. He spent time inviting special people to memorialize him. Given his seeming pragmatic approach, he…
is an art all by itself. How do I convey the subject matter of a story and ‘knock out’ the reader all in one punch? After the genius (ok, ok, 1% genius, 99% work) of writing a book, the author still has to come up with a title that will not only convey to the…
aging / coping / Health / Need-to-know
First we had a problem with being called “Grandma” and “Grandpa”, coming up with such creative names as “GranMo”, “Z” and “Sweetums”. (I drew the line at Grandude and G-dawg.) Boomers Name Themselves. Now we have a problem with being called “Senior Citizen” “Elderly” and “Golden Ager”. Forget ‘Seniors’ Aging Boomers Search For A Better…
coping / faith / family values
It started innocuously enough in October 2015. After a weekend of yard-work, Becky woke up and noticed that she was unable to bend her pinky. She visited a doctor who thought the problem might be related to a herniated disc. Before agreeing to surgery, Becky sought a second opinion and horrifyingly learned that she had…
On my morning walk, I noticed: it’s a bit cooler and less humid. It feels like the start of something new. While it’s not January 1st, Labor Day and back to school advertisements makes it seem like a fresh start. You may not have any students in your life who are actually buying notebooks and…
I believe in reading to kids any way that is fun! My preference: goofy voices and silly accents. I love engaging them in a story, making them care about the characters. I, of course, am not the only author who is passionate about reading to children every day. “Trusting, singing, laughing, and language are the…
Fire is useful but also potentially dangerous, even lethal. One need only consider the devastation from wildfires to realize the potential for damage. While hiking at Red Rocks Canyon midday, the blazing sun was a force to be reckoned with. On an exposed trail with limited shade, it doesn’t take long to overheat. Fire, sun, heat–sometimes good…
I’m in this publishing game for the long run. I have been working on new books and trying to find firm footing for marketing The Enjella® Adventure Series in the shifting sands of the publishing industry. I have books for sale in independent bookstores across the country, like , in Mystic, CT, and right in my own back…
After a hard landing following a parachute jump, I couldn’t feel or move my legs. With lengthy surgery and rehab, I regained movement and sensation—not quite as good as before, but better than expected post-injury. After moving to California, I became a patient at the Spinal Cord Injury Center (SCIC) at the Palo Alto Veterans…
A book by any other author would not sell as sweet! Former President Bill Clinton and best-selling author James Patterson live in neighboring towns in New York. They teamed up to write this summer’s hottest book: The President is Missing. The thriller has sold millions of books so far, in spite of some carefully worded, restrained reviews. The…
We returned from a week-long vacation to shriveled plants in the yard. The flowers succumbed to a combination of heat and lack of water. But it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. The northern states were as oppressively hot as the mid-Atlantic, interspersed with occasional deluges of rain that created humidity. Since the end of…
Can’t wait! It will be beautiful. The forecast is fabulous: sunny summertime weather. Here in the northeast it will be hot. There is no place I’d rather be than the beach. But plastic is here with me! Sure, this is one tiny plastic straw I stepped on at the beach. BUT: There is no escaping…
