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Humor, Honesty & Heartbreak: Why I Write What I Write
I had the pleasure to speak at the Herrick District Library in Holland, Michigan, for the first time this week. There seemed to be quiet concern (I was later told) about my presence there, it seems,...
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Yeah, I'm A PEOPLE Person
I recently started a new writing chapter in my life: I am officially a writer for People.com.People.com is the online component of PEOPLE magazine, and the #1 celebrity site on the web, with nearly one...
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Pillow Talk: Adopting Our New Rescue, Doris
We have been a single-dog family for two years now, since the passing of our beloved mutt, Marge. That changed last week when we adopted Doris, a rescue from a local shelter.We had been looking at...
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"Love, Wade": A Valentine's Essay
Itwas an art project tradition in my 1970s Ozarks grade school for children to make their own Valentine's Day mailboxes and then walk around the classroom personally delivering cards to...
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On Hate, And Love: How I Stay Strong in the Face of Discrimination
A decade ago in 2004, I was alive for the first time in my life.It wasn't only that I had come out and fallen in love a few years earlier, it was that I had finally come into my own.I was writing what...
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Happy Birthday (to Me!): The Icing on the Cake
As an adult, I used to watch the MTV show, "My Super Sweet 16," with an equal mix of horror and envy. Lavish birthdays were not a part of my childhood growing up in the 1970s Ozarks. My family wasn't...
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WE'RE MARRIED!
I received the best birthday gift of my life last week: Gary and I were married.As with most things in our lives, it happened with the shocking suddenness of a thunder bolt. And, as with most huge...
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Happy 4th! What You Need to Cherish (and Read) This Summer!
As I near 50, I’ve come to appreciate that some of the most memorable moments from my childhood were not only the simplest but also quintessentially summer: Bobbing down ice-cold streams in innertubes...
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Sentimental September
Even though it's been over three decades since I last lived at home and headed off to school, I swear I can still hear my father singing at the top of his lungs the moment September...
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September 20th Writing Workshop
2 spaces left for the Saturday, Sept 20th writing workshop. Click here for more information!
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Article 12
I'm hosting an "after hours" party! Wanna come? Seriously excited to be the keynote speaker at the Michigan Notable Book's "Homecoming for Celebrated Authors" event on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Grand...
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Autumn Bookmarks: Falling in Love with My Past & Present
I found a leaf, by chance, pressed between the pages of an old encyclopedia I had sitting on the bookshelves in my writing studio.I hadn’t picked up that encyclopedia in decades but happened to pluck...
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Libraries Change Lives
"As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school. I actually believed all those books belonged to her."-Erma BomeckI was honored to be the kickoff keynote speaker for the...
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Putting the "Thanks" in Thanksgiving
The following is an essay I wrote for Metrosource Magazine, and it got such an amazing reaction, I wanted to share it with you. No matter where you are for Thanksgiving, or who you are with (or...
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Red Carpet Dreams
I have dreamed of appearing on a red carpet much of my life.Every awards season – from the Golden Globes to the Oscars to the Emmys – I have curled up on the couch with Rotel dip, chips and chili to...
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Our Favorite Things
Every New Year brings a fresh start: A time to reflect, put bad habits behind us and focus on our goals for 2015. It is also a time when we all want to refresh, recharge and refocus on taking care of...
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A Blink of An Eye
A Blink of An EyeMy husband, Gary, wants to live to be 114. That's the age, for some reason, that he has chosen and is working hard to reach. "I want to live well past 100," Gary always says, very...
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EQUALITY!
I was a weeping, snotty, emotional mess on Friday when the Supreme Court's ruling was announced. It was a day -- like so many of those I know and love -- never dreamed would happen in our lifetimes....
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Where Writers Write
Most readers seem to have a fascination (if not semi-obsession) with where writers write. I think it's more of an interest in seeing and understanding the intimate space in which writers create, that...
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Holiday Heartache & Gifts: A Farewell to My Father
My father passed away the end of October. As I navigate this first holiday season without him -- my first as an "orphan" now that all of my immediate family, brother, mother, father, are gone -- I...
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THE CHARM BRACELET LAUNCHES MARCH 22!
Dear Friends:I don't know how I got here. Literally. My debut novel, The Charm Bracelet, launches one week from today, March 22. ONE WEEK! Many of you have asked what you can do to help since the first...
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BE FEARLESS! A Writing (& Life) Lesson on Fear & Voice
An inspirational quote from my debut novel, THE CHARM BRACELETOf the endless things I could teach and preach to writers, learning to overcome fear to channel your true voice tops the list.Fear is...
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THANK YOU!: An Essay In Honor of National Library Week
The theme for this year's National Library Week, observed April 10-16, is – simply enough – "Libraries Transform." As an author, there are endless op-eds I could write on the...
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A Holiday Giveaway With Christmas Ornament King Christopher Radko!
I am thrilled to share with you today a Q&A with the renowned and iconic name in American home decor, Christopher Radko. For over 30 years, Christopher’s handcrafted holiday ornaments and decor...
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Writer's Digest Essay: Writing Women's Fiction As A Man
I wrote the following essay for the May/June 2017 issue of Writer's Digest. The essay -- about writing women's fiction as a man -- is part of the magazine's "5-Minute Memoir" department. Truly hope you...
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