Story Sparks

February 2021 Story Sparks To begin in beauty once again, I present the cover of my September release, The Healing of Natalie Curtis. I love it! The story of Natalie Curtis is set mostly in the Southwest and this cover says that to me. It is a story of healing. Natalie was a classically

January 2021 Story Sparks I chose to open Story Sparks this month with a beautiful sunrise photograph taken by a Canadian friend Amar Athwal. You can find more of his wonderful photographs at banffmoments.com. Dostoyevsky wrote that in a time of despair, “beauty is more important than bread.” I’m not despairing but I am

December 2020 Story Sparks For years I’ve misquoted William Shakespeare’s words in Romeo and Juliet by saying “Waiting is such sweet sorrow” instead of using his word, “Parting” as being the source of the sadness. I say “wait”  often. It’s a command I give to Caesar while I untangle his leash or pick up

November 2020 Story Sparks When I wrote Promises of Hope for Difficult Times, I was focused on the ups and downs of caregiving. First with my sister, then both my parents and throughout, with Jerry with his many bouts of cancer and compression fractures. Writing it was therapeutic – writing anything can be. I

October 2020 Story Sparks The picture of Jerry and me and John the cat was taken in 1977. I know exactly because of the shirt Jerry’s wearing and the major mis-communication that occurred that October. He had gone hunting six hours north; I had planned a long weekend with friends in Ashland, Oregon four

September 2020 Story Sparks When I was about four years old, my parents got a television. It was the size of a washing machine though the screen was not much bigger than an IPad. Programming was limited and started at 6:00 pm. I think it ended at 10:00 pm or maybe midnight with the

September 8, 2020 Story Sparks In making new patterns, I feel compelled to speak of my great sadness about the systemic racism in our nation especially as communities I love in Oregon, Minnesota and my home state of Wisconsin, suffer. And as Micah 6:8 asks, “What does the Lord require? To seek justice, act

Summer 2020 Story Sparks "When it rains, it pours." Remember that marketing phrase for Morton Salt (the little girl on the blue box with an umbrella pushed against the wind)? It meant its product was so good, that even with moisture in the air, their salt would still shake out through those little tiny

May 2020 Story Sparks Some of you know that I love words. Aghast. Pig. Just the sounds make me happy. I've just learned a new word Kuchisabishii. It's Japanese that translates as "lonely mouth" and it is described as a possible explanation for the changed eating habits of many of us during this Covid-19-era.

April 2020 Story Sparks Greetings! We - like most of you - are sheltering in place. Shelter is such a lovely word with its origin in old English from the word "shield" or another, "structure affording protection" and related to "firm, solid and steadfast." That's what we are being asked to be now, firm,