A Look from . . . UP ON THE ROOF

Released in digital and print, Up on the Roof and Other Stories is a unique collection of nineteen humorous and serious stories exploring the lives and relationships of the young and old. 

Digital is now $2.99 and Print is $9.00 on Amazon.  I've always enjoyed writing short stories and pieces that be read in one sitting. Currently, I'm working on a new collection and hoping to release it this year.                                                                       

 

Here are a few synopses of stories included in Up on the Roof:

BALD REVELATIONS  
A first grade teacher believes her husband of twenty years is leaving her and their two teenage sons when he purchases ten pairs of new dress socks and starts reviewing their insurance policies. Despite her mother’s assurances, Maureen is further convinced he’s cheating when he starts singing Beach Boy songs and tries to persuade her to buy a sporty red convertible. 

COMPUTER JUNKIE   
 When Rita and Jane decide to start a small woodworking business, they never expect their husbands to get involved. But get involved they do. Mitch and Bill decide their wives need their expert computer advice and their meddling could spell disaster even before the business gets off the ground.

HOOKED ON SILENCE   
Two young professional couples decide to go to the lake to fish. Jerome believes that women are not necessarily equal in all masculine tasks, but Angela, his girlfriend, is about to prove him wrong.                                                                                                           
STRAW PONIES  
Brita Larson saved the life of an Arapaho brave, Nitis, who now believes he's indebted to her and routinely brings gifts to her ranch.When she then helps rescue his sister, Onawa, from some evil white men selling guns to the renegades, Britta is certain she will never get rid of this gift-bearing Indian. More importantly, how will she explain him to Deputy Sheriff Wyatt McGee? 

                          NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

New Release:  

eBook/Digital - Now Only $2.99

Print - 6.99

 

 

PRODUCTIVITY IS NOT A SYNONYM FOR HAPPINESS

Have you recently discovered that having a stress ball isn't for throwing at people who stress you out? 

Everyone has stress. It's a response to challenges in life. And let's face it, a life without challenges would be dreary and boring.

If you’re a writer, stress manifests itself when you write and when you don’t. If the writing flows, we say we’re in the zone. When it stops, we agonize over how to kick-start ourselves. When we end a piece, we fuss over the editing process. And when we’re finally finished with it, we ponder whether our creation is worthy enough, then lapse into the insecurity of “what will we write next”?

I’ve decided, after a half-dozen books, there is no happy medium to getting the right balance in life that will completely relieve stress levels. But there are small things that everyone who is stressed can do to ease  anxieties.

We all know we have to eat healthy and exercise, but there are other things to consider. One is to stay as organized as possible, and simplify routines, commitments, and clutter. A messy desk doesn’t cause us stress. Not finding the papers we need which are buried in a chaotic heap on our desks causes us to stress.

We also need to let go of multi-tasking constantly and slow down. We’re in a society that says we can do it all. We want to accomplish a task, but not upset our family’s routine or our commitments to others, so we rush, rush, rush. Maybe it’s time to go back to the single task philosophy our parents used. Maybe it’s time to streamline our time and eliminate unnecessary commitments. Instead of the mental “to do” list which stretches for miles in our mind, it’s time to write down a realistic “to do” list and only put down five essential tasks we want to complete in a given time.                                                                                             

And lastly, here is my favorite de-stressor idea. I’m giving myself permission to have free time for myself—whether it’s to do a hobby, read, travel, or just take time off from writing without guilt. Life doesn’t have to be about always accomplishing things—always placing the next word on the page or doing the next to-do chore. After all, productivity has never been a synonym for happiness.

                                   NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

New Release:  

eBook/Digital - Now Only $2.99

Print - 6.99

 

 

MARCH COMES MARCHING IN

Okay, I admit it, I’m not a fan of February. Every year, I wish it would fly by and push us into March. After the holidays, February brings holiday bills to pay, freezing temperatures in the northern regions, hibernation tendencies, snow, lack of light, more snow, colds, flu and then…more non-melting, dirty snow with ice. It’s a bleak, long, tedious month, despite the fewest number of days. But to February's credit, it ushers in March.

March in Pennsylvania is cheered on by the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, featuring rising temperatures, longer days, and vibrant, but unpredictable weather. It’s Women’s History Month, Ides of March, Johnny Appleseed Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Spring Equinox, and a full lunar blood moon that looks red on March 3^rd.

For me, it’s a joyful time. Rains will come, but they will leave.

I search my flower beds for new shoots and check the lilac buds to see if I’ll have blooms in April. Daffodils, crocus, snowdrops, tulips, and forsythia burst forth to color the dreary landscape. In the words of Bishop Reginald Heber: “Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.”

Rabbits scurry over the yard looking for tasty new shoots. The neighborhood possum checks out the fallen sunflower seeds below the bird feeder. Canada geese flying overhead sing their tunes of spring. Their sounds remind me to check my many birdhouses which may need paint or repairs before they can be hung outside.

March is the time to make time and do the things we love after a cold winter. You might find me scrutinizing the colorful seed packets on display at a local store—or staring into space and making a mental list of vegetables and herbs to plant in our bucket garden in May. Or maybe I’ll just stare at the blue sky and watch the clouds sail by in a brisk spring wind.

  

It’s March. It’s spring. Fresh breeze and warm sun. The best time for new beginnings is now.

                              NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

New Release:  

eBook/Digital - Now Only $2.99

Print - 6.99

VALENTINE'S DAY - and a - SWEET KISS!

 In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm posting an excerpt from SWEET KISS, where Kate Clark, owner of the coffee shop, tells quirky post mistress, Eva May Poole, about the legend of Valentine's Day.  

     

        “Hey, Eva May, did you know there’s a legend of how Valentine’s Day came about?" Kate asked and looked over at the post mistress."It’s credited to St. Valentine of Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius was unable to get soldiers to join his army and thought the reason was because men did not want to leave their wives and families so he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. A romantic at heart, a priest of Rome, Saint Valentine, defied Claudius's unjustified order. Along with Saint Marius, St. Valentine secretly married the couples.”     

          “Is he still doing it?” Eva May asked.

          Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She heard her friend, Melanie, beside her, mutter, “Tell her, yes. What the heck? 270 AD until now? What' s a couple of years?"  

          Kate choked back a laugh.  

 

                                              Sweet Kiss  -  Now $2.99

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL!  

 ~ * ~ 

NEW RELEASE - Finding Love in Pine Valley  

 

 

FINDING LOVE IN PINE VALLEY  

 

New Release:  

eBook/Digital - Now Only $0.99

Print - 6.99