Those of us who live in the frozen Northlands share an annual experience of coming out of our homes after a long, cold, dark winter, and wincing up at the bright orange orb in the sky and having to grow accustomed to warmth again. This year, I experienced something similar, but at the end of July. Attending an in-person readers retreat (Mississippi River Readers Retreat) was like a Minnesota … [Read more...]

It has been a busy 10 days here, working on final galleys and participating in two writers conferences. Last weekend, I had the privilege of being on faculty for the fabulous Northwestern Christian Writers Conference at the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. I taught a workshop on “Avoiding Common Mistakes on the Road to Publication,” met with up-and-coming writers, and participated on a … [Read more...]

It’s summertime here in the northern hemisphere. If you’re having hot, sunny weather where you live as well, perhaps you've cooled off with a visit to the beach. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the beach myself. Not in reality, but in researching a future novel set on the English seaside. I’m guessing some of you may have watched the fairy recent miniseries, Sanditon (based on Jane … [Read more...]

I have been going to Dairy Queen on my birthday for about 50 years. It’s a simple, sweet tradition that started when I was seven years old in central Illinois (the same year I received my lime green 3-speed bicycle). The first Dairy Queen opened in 1940 in Joliet, IL, not far from Chicago, where I was born.  Dairy Queen’s international headquarters is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, near … [Read more...]

A few months ago, I participated in an online discussion of the book Jane Austen Embroidery: Regency Patterns Reimagined for Modern Stitchers during a meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America (MN Chapter). The author introduces the book by saying: “We all know that Jane Austen was an accomplished novelist. Less well known is that she was also a talented stitcher, as at home … [Read more...]