When the Pilgrims celebrated a harvest festival in 1621, fifty-eight of the original one hundred and two remained alive after surviving that first dreadful winter. Native Americans had come to their rescue earlier that year, helping them grow crops to harvest. A second ship arrived from England, bringing recruits and supplies they desperately needed. That Thanksgiving […]
Historical
Reflect with Thanks
Days of rain, accompanied by cold, forced my husband’s decision not to attend this year’s annual Veteran’s Day parade in Albany, a city forty miles north of us. The parade boasts more than two hundred entries and as many as 40,000 spectators, making it the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi. The event […]
Book pick–Biblical fiction
Bread of Angels, one of Tessa Afshar’s biblical history novels, is the retelling of the story of Lydia, the purple seller mentioned in the book of Acts, a woman who was Paul’s first convert in Philippi. I checked the reference in the book of Acts where Lydia is given barely a handful of verses, but […]
Book Pick–Laura Frantz
Laura Frantz has earned a place on my favorite authors list because she writes genuine life-changing stories set in the wilderness of early Kentucky. She creates fascinating images of the existence the early settlers endured, the dangers they faced, and the courage they had to summon to survive. A Moonbow Night, is one of those […]
What’s In A Reunion?
High School reunions mean different things to different people. For some, reconnecting with friends from their past is exciting, for others, the very idea sends shivers down their spines. Not every reunion is the same, either. At ten years out most are still establishing their families, building their careers, waiting for life to begin. On […]
The Countdown Ends
Emily Perl Kingsley joined the writing staff of Sesame Street in the early 1970’s and is credited with creating several stories for children. What many didn’t know was Kingsley reared a son with Down’s Syndrome. Together they wrote a book about their experience, Count Us In: Growing Up with Down Syndrome. In 1987 she touched […]
The Countdown Draws Nearer
The hero in my upcoming debut novel, Rudy Taylor, trained as an observer biologist after he graduated from college with a marine studies biology degree. The training translated into work aboard a catcher processor in the Bering Sea. Observers on the fishing boats are placed there by a government agency to ensure the catch is […]
The Countdown Continues
A Russian commander, Druzhinin, is credited for having discovered Dutch Harbor in the early 1700’s. He envisioned the natural port as a haven for ships seeking refuge from the winds of the Bering Sea. Russian fur traders followed and established a community on Unalaska in 1798. Efforts to evangelize the Aleutian people ensued and a small, Russian Orthodox chapel […]
The Countdown Begins
August 1, my debut novel, An Anchor on Her Heart, releases for distribution. For the next several weeks I’ll be offering insights into what prompted the story and why I wrote what I did. The story behind the story— When my college graduate son landed a job as an observer biologist with the National Marine […]
Another Generation Waits
From the street the building appears to be little more than a warehouse: concrete block structure, flat roof, a patched parking lot that has stood the test of time. The only indication life happens inside is the diner-style sign perched on top telling passersby of its contents—Skate World Roller Rink. Inside the magic begins. For […]