In the last year my husband, John, and I have adopted four girls, ages 11–16, from foster care. When they first started doing weekend visits we learned a lot about them—their likes and dislikes, their hopes and their fears. How? Often something in our home would trigger a memory, and they would launch into a… [Continue Reading]
stories
A New Family Favorite (& Giveaway!)
A New Family Favorite We have no less than a dozen Bible story books and our kids love to read them. Bella, Casey and Alyssa were excited when the Treasury of Bible Stories arrived. And they were even more excited when I started to read. Rhyming books are always fun. We love Dr. Suess and… [Continue Reading]
Sharing The Stories of The Greatest Generation
About 14 years ago I was on vacation with two friends when I first heard about the 11th Armored Division–the men who liberated Mauthausen and Gusen concentration camps. So intrigued by the history of these men, I wrote two novels about them, From Dust and Ashes and Night Song. In the course of writing these books,… [Continue Reading]
The Stories I Had to Tell
Stories of World War II Voices quieted. Eyes lowered. Hands trembled as the two veterans revisited the place that was never far from their thoughts. I never thought twice about World War II. A stay-at-home mom, I enjoyed writing about parenting. With three kids under ten, I had plenty to write about. Then came the… [Continue Reading]
People in My Life Affect My Writing
My grandfather was the neighbor everyone loved. When he was 82 he’d go around and mow the yards of all the “old people” in his mobile-home park. If he got strawberries from his ten-square-foot garden he’d share them with the neighbors. I’ve learned kindness from him . . . or at least that’s the goal… [Continue Reading]