"You're looking go-o-od. You're looking go-o-od. You're looking go-o-od." The zumba leader sings her encouragement. Looking at my reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror behind her, I think, You lie. I look like a bag of disconnected limbs--arms and legs flailing in different directions, none of which is following her lead. There are times, I think, when I should …
Another Reason to Write Memoir
Do you think your life is too humdrum for a memoir? Dave Eggers, in The Autobiographer's Handbook1, emphasizes one reason you should write: "…because you will someday die, and without your story on paper, most of it will be forgotten." (p. 1) He says we strive to preserve the world's history from antiquity on for …
Writing memoir – so what?
At the Northwestern Summer Writer’s Conference today, Michele Weldon, in Your Narrative: Writing Your Story, gave us a nearly three-hour pep talk on why writing our personal stories is important. With a Power Point presentation, she addressed memoir essentials, starting with how to narrow down our ideas, then walking us through craft elements such as …
Heidi McLaughlin’s New Review of Caring Lessons
With many thanks to Heidi McLaughlin, international speaker and author of Sand to Pearls: Making Bold Choices to Enrich Your Life and Beauty Unleashed: Transforming a Woman's Soul, I present her new review of Caring Lessons: A Nursing Professor's Journey of Faith and Self on Amazon: This book intrigued me. I am not a nurse, …
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Nurses: Write Your Mind Out
Last fall I heard Suzanne Gordon, journalist and long-time advocate for nursing, give a rousing speech to a room full of nurses. I’d read about her, but hearing her enthusiasm rekindled my smoldering fire of the necessity of promoting the professionalism of nursing. Ms. Gordon, as a non-nurse, challenged us to stand up for nursing. …
A Final Farewell to Borders
My love affair with Borders bookstore on State Street in Chicago came to an end the other day when I spent the last of my gift card on the purchase of four books. It took me two hours of roaming to isolate the four that spoke to me the most. And then I still spent …
Cremekulas No More at Borders Bookstore on State
On Tuesday a sign said the cafe would close on Friday. So I went today, Thursday, for my last vanilla bean cremekula. A makeshift barrier greeted me. Closed. I stood in silence, shocked. Sick at heart. I'd planned my day around this nostalgic moment. I left the store, feeling sad, but with two more bottles …
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ICRS #2 – Interviews, Signings, and Cupcakes
The International Christian Retail Show started for me with a warm greeting from Bill and Nancie Carmichael from Deep River Books, my publisher. They sponsored a dinner (yummy salmon) for their authors and guests at the Westin in Atlanta. My guest, from the friendship theme in Caring Lessons, was Marianna Crane. After dinner, Bill invited …
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The Death of Borders Bookstores
This afternoon I went to Borders to write, a usual afternoon activity. With the gift cards I get from my family on any holiday that warrants gifts, I'm hooked on buying a vanilla bean cremekula. As the gal reaches for my Borders membership and gift cards, she always asks if I'd like a pastry too.Not …
ICRS #1 – Hopping MARTA to Downtown Atlanta
One big blessing is the best way I can describe my experience at the International Christian Retail Show last week in Atlanta. My friend Marianna Crane, featured in Caring Lessons, and I arrived within minutes of each other and met up at a Delta gate. We hadn’t seen each other in over a year, and …
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Write Along with Me 