So . . . last month, one late afternoon, I stepped into one of my big chicken coops to refill their water. There's a little white bantam rooster in there who loves to attack me, and while I was busy with the water and keeping an eye on him, one of my hens slipped out of the coop. This would not be a big deal except that Jazzy, one of the mastiffs, was outside with me, and a couple of years ago she … [Read more...]

I do love spring--my trees come back to life, the oaks gleam with yellow-gold new leaves, and I stand outside and recite "Nothing gold can stay," the poem by Robert Frost. That tradition began when I was in high school. Every year Mrs. Williams would lead us out to a second story balcony beneath a sprawling live oak, where she'd recite the poem and we'd marvel that Nature's first green really is … [Read more...]

In January, I think, I handed in my latest novel which is set in Rome. The manuscript came back in February, and I set about making it better per my editor's notes. It's a story about a young woman who ages from 18-22 in the book, and a young man who ages from 22-26. Neither of them are married, which suited the story because they have to get together at the end, you see. (I'm sure you … [Read more...]