For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

H is for Hot Chocolate

Growing up, we didn’t have hot chocolate often. In fact, the only time I recall having it is when I’d come inside after playing in the snow. My mother was a great baker, but she never made hot chocolate. It was strictly Swiss Miss packets all the way. Occasionally, a bag of mini marshmallows could be found in the cupboard to top it off.

I had fun writing the “hot chocolate” scene in Rightfully Ours, with Paul and Rachel chasing each other around the table armed with a can of Reddi Wip with a plugged nozzle. Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

G is for Gold

While I tend to associate hunting for gold with the late 19th century American Northwest, the search for gold is still a thing, at least if shows such as Gold Rush are any indication. I haven’t seen the show, only a short trailer about the series, but it looks as if panning has gone high tech. In researching gold authentication for Rightfully Ours, I learned that ultrasounds are now used to detect whether a gold bar is fake or the real deal. Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

F is for Fracking

I’m not talking here about the Battlestar Galactica reboot’s use of the word “fracking.” (Excellent series though, and a clever way of allowing characters to curse without invoking network censorship.) Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

E is for Ectopic Pregnancy

I’m no stranger to pregnancy complication and loss, having experienced pre-eclampsia, intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), and multiple miscarriages, but I’ve not experienced an ectopic pregnancy. In Rightfully Ours, one of the characters reveals that a loved one was lost due to this pregnancy complication. Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

D is for Doodling

Do you doodle? Did you ever doodle? Boys’ name? Girls’ names?

Back in the days before stretchy, synthetic book covers, we covered our textbooks with brown paper bags. (I can still fold a fitted cover in minutes.) Those covers served as my doodling canvas. I’d doodle my name, hearts, cartoonish cats, bunnies, and other figures. On the inside page, where no one would see, is where I might doodle the name of my latest crush. Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

C is for Chastity

A man that used to go to our church consistently confused our daughter’s name, calling her “little Chastity.” Not a name on our short list. A beautiful and necessary virtue, for sure, but a lot to saddle a young lady with should she ever fail to live up to her name. Continue reading →

For the first time, I’m participating in the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! The concept is simple: Each day in April I’ll be blogging on a topic  starting with the letter of the day, beginning with A and progressing to Z by the end of the month. Posts will be short and will relate to my chosen theme: my new coming of age story, Rightfully Ours, released April 1.

B is for Baking

One of my writer friends recently pointed out what a prominent role baking plays in my books. One of those things from real life that bleeds through into my fiction, I guess.

In Rightfully Ours, Rachel whips up a batch of chocolate chip cookies with her mom, reminiscing about how many times they’d made them together. Baking is a shared experience she enjoyed with her mother throughout her childhood. Assembling the ingredients takes on an established rhythm as she and her mom work in tandem mixing and combining the butter, egg, and sugar with the flour mixture. Continue reading →