Monthly Archives: November 2015

Reading

The Books of My Life: Jane Porter

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Jane Porter is one of my favorite authors. Jane has written more than fifty books – women’s fiction and contemporary and historical romances. Two of my favorites are Odd Mom Out and Mrs. Perfect, from her Bellevue Wives series. I enjoyed the books so much that I emailed her a fan letter – and she wrote back! And we started a correspondence. Jane has a blog on her website, which I read religiously. In fact, as I wrote in my first Books of My Life post, she was the person who inspired me to start writing for real. We met in person five years ago, when she hosted my book club at one of her “reader’s dinners.” I was so nervous, I cannot even explain it. Seriously. The woman has had one of her books (Flirty With Forty) turned into a movie – staring Heather Locklear!  Hello!? Writing rock star here. Continue reading The Books of My Life: Jane Porter →

Everything Else

Random Musings

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 Have you ever been so stressed that you get to the point where you don’t even care anymore? Presently, I’m beyond the point where I can feel my anxiety or stress. It’s like I’m floating though the day in a bumper boat. I need to get to the other side of the pool, but I keep bumping into things that need to be done, and then I spin around in circles and go off in some other direction. For example, I have no business writing a post – but here I am.

How is it possible that tomorrow is my 16th wedding anniversary? Sixteen seems like a small number to me, given all that’s happened in the last decade and a half. I put off making a dinner reservation for so long that our first choice restaurant was all booked, so I went with our second choice – and had to choose between a 6 p.m. reservation or 9:00 p.m. We’ll be celebrating with an early bird special.

airplane

On the plane, leaving for our honeymoon. Continue reading Random Musings →

Gratitude, Things To Be Excited About

Love, Excitement & Gratitude

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It’s been a long time since I wrote a post about stuff I’m excited about or all things in my life for which I grateful. I’ve been in a funk and have a wicked head cold, so I thought this would be a good time to do so. And I’m hoping that it’ll cheer me up.

Love:

These books:

24875387[1]Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams: This book is the third in the author’s Schuyler sisters’ trilogy. This novel focuses on Pepper, who’s pregnant with the baby of her married lover (who sounds a lot like Robert Kennedy). Although Pepper is as interesting and funny as ever, Annabelle Dommerich is the character who really intrigued me. Anabelle’s story unfolds during pre-World War II Europe. Annabelle falls in love with a German Jew, but ends up married to a Nazi general. What? The story is astonishing, heartbreaking, and riveting. When Pepper meets her in 1966, Annabelle is a widow, but the reader doesn’t know which man she’s mourning. Continue reading Love, Excitement & Gratitude →

Writing

Not in My Wildest Nineteen Year Old Dreams

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Allie1989When I was nineteen I was a bit of mess. It was a year of firsts – some good, some terrible. My nineteenth birthday was my first without a mom. At nineteen, I moved into my very first apartment, paid for by me alone. I loved that apartment and my milk crate furniture. I bought my first car at nineteen – a white Ford Escort hatchback. My love for the car was short lived. At nineteen, I earned my first college degree. I had my first serious boyfriend. I fell in love for first time. I had my heart broken for the first time. To steal a line from Dickens (which is on my mind since Tamara’s Books of My Life post), “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Continue reading Not in My Wildest Nineteen Year Old Dreams →