Things I Love Thursday

This little footstool made by my grandfather.

I keep it under my desk and use it every time I write.

Happy anniversary, Westwinds Bookshop

My local bookstore, Westwinds Bookshop, celebrated its 65th anniversary last weekend!.

Author/illustrator, Brian Lies set up the Batmobile.

They had nice displays.

And my favorite part of the day was seeing my buddies, Maeve (left) and Audrey (right).

Things I Love Thursday

This song. It makes me cry.

Lessons from Blondie's University of Experience

Lesson #653:

Do not learn how to drive a motorcycle going downhill with parked cars in front of you.

I love kids

From a student's school report:

Barbara's inspiration was that she has always loved children and she loved to write so she put them together and BAM! Out came children's books.

Just sayin' hello

Can you dig it?

Digging holes is hard work!!!

Pearl is a gem

Pearl by Jo Knowles

Jo Knowles has an amazing gift for writing emotionally raw, true characters. I adored Pearl, aka Bean. I adored Henry. I adored Sally. I adored Gus.

This book wowed me on so many levels. I loved the attention to detail that put me right there in that kitchen, on that sofa, under that bed, in that boat, drinking that vodka.

A gem of a book. (My favorite of Jo's, and I love them all!)

Things I Love Thursday

This little charm from my father's high school football days.

Harding High School (Charlotte, NC) 1942

(I had it put onto a necklace.)

Sadly, whodathunk it?

I wrote How to Steal a Dog in 2003.

There were homeless families in 2003.

There were little girls in schools who lived in their cars.

But I never would have imagined that 8 years later, the situation would be so much worse. (Sorry about the darned ad at start of video.)








And I definitely never could have imagined this.

Something Kinda Cool

I received an email recently from a gentleman who lives in Ukraine.

He writes screenplays and is currently working on one involving a mini-submarine.

While researching submarines, he came across my website because of the little sub in The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester.

His email was just a nice hello and "isn't it a small world", etc.


He ended by saying:

Our stories are very different indeed, but the ideas cross - so it's wonderful, how two persons came to this idea living in different places of the world.

As we say in Ukraine "ideas fly in the air."

I love that.

Fond memories of Kezi Matthews

I recently learned that children's author, Kezi Matthews, passed away back in 2010.

Kezi wrote a number of wonderful books, including Flying Lessons and John Riley's Daughter.

But what is particularly special to me about Kezi is that she was once on a writers' message board that I participated in. Once, during a lively discussion that was getting out of hand, she commented that her grandfather used to say:

Sometimes, the more you stir it the worse it stinks.

For those of you familiar with my book, How to Steal a Dog, you might recognize that as an important motto used in the story and quoted by the character of Mookie.

I loved that motto so much. I had written to Kezi and asked permission to use it, which she granted me, of course.

I sent her a copy of the book as a thank you.

Thanks, Kezi.

I love kids

From a reader:

I really love writing but my hand gets tired really easy so I love to type more.

Fixed the link

I fixed the link on the Brie & Fig Mac and Cheese post. Sorry about that.

Things I Love Thursday

Good Tastes Brie & Fig Mac & Cheese from Whole Foods

P.S. I went to Whole Foods yesterday and they didn't have it!!!