Well, I sure have been to a lot of rock concerts in my life and have loved nothing better than to sit back and enjoy the music, watching the performers take center stage. In my teaching career, I used to taking a much smaller stage but always mindful that the show was not about me, […]
Ivy Leigh Ever After on Tour! Read More »
As I was writing Ivy Leigh, I didn’t think too much about specific topics or themes, especially at first. I let myself experience Ivy’s story each time a new situation or character cropped up. It’s kind of like sitting on a moving train, stopping at different stations, checking out the view and watching as the
Ivy Leigh Meets Mental Health Month Read More »
A Wee Bit of Irish Literature Well, what would the month of March be like without a wee bit of storytelling…by strong Irish writers? Immersed in a strong culture of storytelling as a young girl, I’ve always been told I too have the ‘gift of gab’! But that is the ‘gift’ (much to my teachers’
A Wee Bit of Irish Literature Read More »
Kathleen’s Irish Soda Bread Recipe For more information and pics: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/irish_soda_bread/ The story goes that good Irish cooks never measure, so when I took down this recipe at Kathleen’s table many, many years ago (on the back of an envelope), I was given that disclaimer. It took me many a try to get it all straight. You can find
How Irish is Irish? Read More »
A Wee Taste of Ireland On any given March 17th, one thing in the Murphy household was certain. Kathleen Vokes would sneak by, leaving a warm loaf of Irish soda bread on the front doorstep. My brother and two sisters and I would fight for the chance to be the one to find it
The Sweet Taste of Sugar Read More »
After many years of work and revision…too many really, Ivy Leigh Ever After, my debut novel made it into the hands of a group of eager readers on Saturday! There’s nothing like a full room of jazzed up people with ultra kind hearts to make my own heart soar! There’s been a ton of book
Book Launch Day! Ivy for REAL! Read More »
I just love working alongside another author, especially when that author is half my height! I also love that title. ‘Author.’ I’ve worked so hard for so many years to meet that mark. But I also spent my years sprinkling that word around, congratulating all the young authors I worked with in my classroom from
How Sweet It Is: A Pair of Authors at Work Read More »
It’s currently 28 degrees here in coastal North Carolina, the fire’s on, there are cookies in the oven, and I’m snug in a heavy sweater, slippers and woolen socks! Where am I? I moved south to be warm in winters, well, reasonably warm, to write, enjoy evenings of great music and to be close to
Baby, It’s Cold Outside! Suggestions for a Middle Grade Reader Read More »
Always Waiting…will you ever really do this? It takes time and patience and a lot of guidance to bring up a great dog! We’ve been through all the stages of grieving our last wonderful dog, Reilly to the swift adoption two months later of this boy, Wrigley. We didn’t have time to wallow too long,
A Little Teaser: IVY LEIGH EVER AFTER Read More »
“The sky paints such beautiful pictures!” ~WWPL, a little four year old with a full head of light blonde hair exclaimed the other day! He was actually dangling off a swing looking up at a clear pic of what he called ‘a dragon breathing out flames!’ And we, all three adults, saw it too. But