Tag: writing
Hooray! I am celebrating!!
Ashes and Ruins hits the shelves of bookstores on January 31, 2026. I’m pleased to announce the release of my latest historical novel. Based on a true story, Ashes and Ruins brings readers the full story of Clara and Edith, characters introduced in Immigrant Soldier. In the new stand-alone novel, mother and daughter come alive…
India Times Three: 3
2001 Continues Una and I had a decision to make. A longer, more comfortable trip versus a faster trip in an Indian second-class train car. I was inclined to experience traveling like a local. Van travel and Girl Scout backpacking taught me I didn’t always need luxury to enjoy a journey. Una was older, but…
The Help of Strangers
Mexico, September 1971 TOM AND I WERE ONLY a few weeks into our honeymoon road trip. It was late afternoon on our second day in Mexico, and we were sweaty and tired from the long, hot drive across the Sonora Desert. The city of San Luis Potosí slumbered under the siesta-time September sun. Though it…
A Mother’s Memory of Her son’s bootcamp graduation.
Some years ago, I took an emeritus class at U.C. Irvine in travel writing. There I learned that a travel essay needs to be more than a travelogue. To grab readers, travel writing should also have attitude. The writer’s voice is essential, as it is through their eyes the reader views the adventure. I hope…
My Research Addiction
And a Word About Fact-Checking. MY LOVE OF RESEARCH COMES from childhood. I was raised in a home where the Encyclopedia Britannica held a place of honor. I spent countless hours sitting cross-legged in front of the bookcase poring through the heavy maroon-colored volumes. My children were brought up in the same tradition. Now we…
The Memory of Smells
PETER NOTICED THE SCENT of lavender first and looked up from cleaning the meat slicer. The young woman peered into his glass case. Under her loose dress, her pregnant belly was noticeably bigger than the last time she came into the shop. “Please, Mr. Whitacre,” she said. “I’d like two of those lovely white chicken…
Editing 1, 2, 3
EVEN MORE THAN THE PROCESS of writing a first draft, I actually enjoy editing. For me, editing in all its phases is akin to polishing and refining a rough gemstone until it shines. Like any craftsman, I take the work one stage at a time, gradually changing my manuscript into what I hope will be…
Finding the right Label
AS AN AUTHOR, I WRESTLE with many decisions when I prepare a book for publication. This is especially true because I choose to self-publish. Besides working with my editor to fine-tune the manuscript, I must write a description, nail down a title, work with a designer to create a book cover, and decide how to…
Finding the Women’s Story Buried in Immigrant Soldier
A Mother and Daughter Relationship Revealed. ________________________________________________________________________________________ I WAS COMPELLED TO WRITE my first novel, Immigrant Soldier, because the true story of my uncle’s role in Patton’s Third Army grabbed me and would not let me go. Herman’s Jewish blood branded him in Nazi eyes, forced him to flee his homeland, and landed him in the…