Tag: US historical fiction
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Stop Crying
Do you cry too much? My father used to reward me for staying in and being safe. As a police officer he coolly handled blood, insanity and anger, but he could not handle threats to his children. He could not handle the idea of them making mistakes or being shamed. His heart was in the […]
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Quilting a Life: A Conversation About the Value of Making Art
“Everything you can imagine is real.” Pablo Picasso My daughter-in-law and I chatted all weekend about the creative life, raising children and genealogy as somehow connected to our life’s purpose the last time she was up for a visit with my son and grandson. On this visit Sam brought along a current project she is […]
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“Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods.”― Peter A. Levine
“But you can’t escape from shadows or pain. You only find new ones. It’s better, I think, not to try to escape them at all but to accept that they will be there, and to remember that good things happen, too, even if you can’t always see them.” ― Christina Henry, Looking Glass Victims can be quite […]
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Book Review: Giants in the Earth by O. E. Rolvaag
Are you looking for a light and cheerful winter read? Well, this isn’t the one! It’s brilliant — like snow-blind brilliant. It’s human, but in the most tragic sense. It’s spellbinding like a breathtaking winter sunset when it’s far below freezing. Most Americans are familiar with THE LONG WINTER by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Pa’s optimism […]
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“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or idealism.” Carl Gustav Jung
I had no story before addiction. I’ve never been addicted to heroin or drink. My habit has been idealism. I’ve ridden on high horses more times than I care to admit. I’ve been quixotic and delusional. The other day I remembered a student of mine that I had tried to fix. His parents (from where […]
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Top 3 Civil War Soldier Memoirs
My mother named me after a popular cheerleader from her high school days, but I discovered recently that I shared the name Adrienne with a patron saint of the military. This may explain why I’ve always been so drawn to soldiers’ stories. I bet there’s some deep psychological need lurking beneath this life-long interest, but […]
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“Your life is your medicine.” Dr. Cassie Huckabee
Only yesterday, I called my adult daughter to ask her to tell me I was an okay writer. My mother once knitted and donated an entire barnyard full of stuffed animals — a grey horse with glorious mane and mini bridle, a cow with black spots and pink udders, and pigs with soft, felted snouts […]
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5 Great Books About Military Wives in 19th Century America
Since you all know I love history and historical fiction, I thought I’d share some lists of my favorite books by topic that I used when writing THE TENAFLY ROAD SERIES. I hope research geeks will use these posts as a good place to start on the subjects I will feature and that readers of […]
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Sunday at Middlemay Farm
“All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.” Ralph Waldo Emerson The Tenafly Road Series
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Sunday at Middlemay Farm
“The past beats inside me like a second heart.” John Banville, The Sea The Tenafly Road Series