#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. She’s best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington State with her husband and two ragdoll cats. Visit her online at SusanMallery.com. Continue reading Books of My Life: Susan Mallery →

Greeting form Colorado! The kids and I have completed the first week of our road trip. It’s been an adventure! The scenery is gorgeous, but the family dynamics has been rough. There’s been some fighting, and some digestive issues, and boredom.  Typical family road trip stuff. If you’re interested, you can click on the links below for details and pictures.

Day 1 – Long Drive: Home – Little Rock, AR

Day 2: Illness Strikes

Day 3: Dodge City

Day 4: Great Sand Dunes National Park

Day 5: Pikes Peak, CO

Day 6: Fourth of July in Denver

Day 7: Cheyenne, WY

Also, I had an essay featured at Break the Parenting Mold last week. I totally missed it because of the road trip and I feel terrible. The essay originally appeared on my friend Kristi’s site, Finding Ninee, two years ago. I wrote the essay almost ten years ago! It was going to be a chapter in my autism memoir that I never quite finished. It’s a good one and I’d be very grateful if you clicked over to Breaking the Parent Mold to read, How the Little Bus Helped Me Accept Special Needs

Thank you!

 November and December were tough on me. Despite good intentions and a true attempt at planning, my holiday efforts were hurried and sloppy and I won’t bore you with details. I know I’m not alone. As Allison Carter so perfectly wrote about in her blog, I Failed at Christmas, the holiday is no longer about me. My responsibility now is to be the person who’s creating memories for my family and I’m honored to do it – even if it literally kicks me in the ass. On December 26^th, I woke up a new person. Quite literally, I felt lighter. Continue reading What’s in a Word? →