Change Is Constant

 Change is Constant As the heat continues in North Carolina, United States, and other parts of the world, my thought are looking to the future. Not the future of the world, I am not that philosophical.  I am not the person that get upset when summer ends. I would rather be warm than cold, but I would rather be a tad bit chilly and have to put a sweater on, than to be a bit warm.  Do you follow that logic?  i am longing for the day of pumpkin spice lattes and cider doughnuts.    As the fall season slowly approaches these words come to mine.  Back in the 1960's, I enjoyed the song, Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds, written by Pete Seeger. When I discovered where the lyrics came from I enjoyed the song even more.   Ecclesiastes 3    King James Version   To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;   A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to br

It has been a while since my last post.  I've been busy writing episodes for Kindle Vella, and wondering what my next story will be.  After twenty stories, the mind is getting tired of new ideas. I have a solution to that, and I will share it with you. The fictional town of Springdale, Iowa is where my first ten stories took place. I based it on an actual town in Iowa.  I used Google maps to view the streets and buildings.  When I describe the house that Karen and Cody lived in, I knew what the house looked like. It was two blocks from the hospital, and Cody walked to work.  I felt the town in my soul and it made my story a reality. When I describe Liz's drive to work at a casino, I saw the road she traveled. My characters were very real to me, and I joked I was going to make cardboard cutouts for each of them and place them around my desk.  After trying a few other towns, I returned to Springdale for three stories.  I am comfortable in that town, and I like the characters I

I am currently writing my nineteenth story for Kindle Vella.  It is a sad story, with a bit of myself hidden between the lines.   I was never a hippy, and I did not attend Woodstock or do illegal drugs, but I was a child coming of age in the 1960's. I may have added the beads and the flower in my hair if I wasn't afraid of my parents.  They were strict and fair.  I was an only child and they had me late in life.  Mom was 34 and dad was 37.  In 1951 that was out of the ordinary. I was spoiled, and I knew it.  I thanked them by respecting the boundaries they set for me.  My writing lets me take a character like Cora, and lock her away from reality. Cora is a hippy in her eighties, the only thing she gave up is the drugs, and of course sex. She is alone and content with her life..... Until............... one day, she receives a package intended for someone else, and her life opens up for the first time in years. It is a work in progress,  you can read the first three episodes for

  I enjoyed writing my first book.  I didn't make a lot of money, but I was proud of myself.  I was on Amazon.com, Kindle, and paperback. I bought a copy of each for myself. I didn't care if the money wasn't flowing in, I was hooked on writing. I wanted my next book to be for older children. The illustrations in the first book were beautiful, but it raises the cost of printing.  My next book would have a few pencil sketches just to give the reader something to focus on.   I wanted the book to be affordable to everyone.  Times With Terry , I don't want to be here, was created.  My good friend Marla Banta drew the sketches and I had my second book on Amazon.  Things were changing for me.  I was ready to write my next book.  Terry had  unfinished business, so I thought I should go back to her character and continue her story. Times With Terry , I know what I have to do was born.  If you thought about writing, painting, or if you have dreamed about anything, give it a try. 

I never thought I would write a children's book.  But that all changed on an Autumn day in September, 2012.    Autumn is my favorite season. The color of the leaves, the crunching under my feet, and the smells of autumn are all so important to me. One September day I was walking with my dog, and words popped into my head.  As soon as I entered the house I wrote them down on paper.  I didn't have time to boot up the computer, and I did not want to forget them.  Can you feel it? I can. Can you smell it? I can. It's like no other time.   Nothing else makes its presence know quite like this does. I continued  to describe the feelings of fall and then I described garden and the foods of the season. When I was finished with Autumn I felt the need to continue.  With the same cadence as Autumn I wrote Winter, and it was natural that Spring and Summer would follow.   My book was complete, but it needed pictures for toddlers. I found Shaun Crum and he made my words come to life.  Sep