As a homeschooler, my greatest challenge was also my greatest joy: spending all day, everyday, with my kids. I loved learning with them, seeing their faces light up when they mastered something and finding ways to tailor the learning to their strengths. But it wasn’t all fingerpaint and field trips. It was also finding ways…
Inspiration for Writers
As writers, we may feel that our most productive time is spent getting the words down. But where do we find those words to begin with? And when we are burned out and our well is dry, where can we go for inspiration? Are you a writer first? A mom? A dad? Are you a…
Thank You!
To all of you who have purchased a copy of any of my books, I wanted to say thank you! For the teachers who have bought books for their classrooms, for librarians who are using the books for reading clubs and subscription boxes and for everyone who has gifted one of my books to a…
Penelope: Chapter One
Free for readers of this website, the first chapter of my newest novel, Penelope. I hope you love reading about her as much as I enjoyed creating her story! Comment below and share! I’d love to hear what you think! CHAPTER 1 Penelope Kildare hung up her apron and marvelled again at how blessed she…
Investing in our stories
The same spirit that drives a writer to take a hybrid or indie approach to publishing can lead to the decision to take on every facet of publishing single-handedly. Writing, editing, formatting and cover design can be done independently depending on the writer’s abilities but there is an argument to be made for partnering with…
A Season of Rejuvenation
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com Spring has arrived as it does every year and the change of season is cause to celebrate. As I walked around town recently with my daughter and four-year-old granddaughter, (who stopped for a good splash in every puddle), we commented on the new murals painted in store windows. People seemed…
Creativity in Marketing
I was struck recently by the concept of imagination. Why did God give us an imagination? One reason, perhaps, is to fuel our creativity. To allow us to think more broadly and give us a chance to consider things we might not have considered if we were to think logically all the time. The gifts…
Penelope, dream chaser
What do you do when the people closest to you don’t believe in your dreams? You pursue them anyway! Penelope loves flowers. When she posts about enrolling in a horticulture program, her first obstacle is the trolls who flood her website with cruel comments. But her heart is broken when she discovers that there are…
Book review: The Last Time I Saw Her
An amazing 2021 debut from Canadian author Alexandra Harrington, The Last Time I Saw Her is a small town mystery with a great twist! Charlotte Romer has returned to River John from a year of exile and her friends aren’t happy to see her. She disappeared when they needed her most and her reappearance has…
Because I remember
Some people are surprised to learn that I write teen and young adult fiction since I am decades removed from my teenage years. The answer is because I remember. I remember what it was like to be a country kid in a school full of town kids, not having the right clothes, not knowing what…
