GLAD YOU STOPPED BY
Available on Amazon and from me.
Email me! newsgirl.1958@gmail.com
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Hello.
RURAL ROUTE 1, BROWNSVILLE, INDIANA. That’s where I grew up, on a gravel road in the middle of cornfields on my family's farm. Brownsville is in Union County, the second smallest of Indiana’s 92 counties. Never heard of the place? How about Liberty? It’s home to Whitewater State Park and a lovely courthouse centered in the town square. We birthed a famous Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside. Wilbur and Orville Wright's mother hails from there. So does the real Orphan Annie. It’s a little farm town. It’s home. Still no clue? Well, if you are from Small Town Anywhere, you’re close enough. Liberty inspired my first novel, Sweetland of Liberty Bed & Breakfast, and readers encouraged me to continue the story with That Sweet Place: At Home in the Heartland. There's also my latest book, a memoir: There's a Clydesdale in the Attic: Reflections on Keeping and Letting Go. It's about finding more than stuff when I cleaned out our attic during the pandemic. I found so many stories, influences, memories of people, life-changing moments, and the best advice I got from my folks. The books are on Amazon and from me at programs and signings. I KNEW AT 16, in a big aha moment, that I wanted to be a newspaper feature writer and I’ve been that for three-and-a-half decades at two Indiana newspapers. Although most would say I’m steady and safe, that’s not all I am. I also like to surprise folks now and then. In 2014 I had the thrill of a lifetime with the privilege of touring Israel for 10 days. Be still my heart. ANOTHER SURPRISE was writing a novel and indie-publishing it in 2014, and again in 2016. The books led to new experiences such as speaking engagements at book-discussion groups, banquets, teas, and Extension Homemaker clubs. And I found that even as a plump, middle-aged woman, I enjoy public speaking. It’s a surprise in a life full of them. MARRIED TO BRIAN, a retired public schools educator, we’re the empty-nest parents of Sam and Ben. I’m involved in my church where a joy of my life is helping lead a women’s life group. I'm also a charter member of Writer Chicks, a writers' support group. I study nine months a year with the international Bible Study Fellowship, and enjoy time with family and friends. Nothing much beats a laugh. I laugh a lot. We share our Pendleton, Indiana, home with a Boston terrier named Reggie. For inquiries about speaking engagements or anything else, drop me a line at newsgirl.1958@gmail.com. My novels are available on Amazon.com or from me. |