Blogging from A to Z: F is for Forest

F is for forest.

I'm a tree-hugger, botanist, and nerd.
Whenever a tree falls in the forest it's heard.
Whenever pain is inflicted upon a tree,
it hurts everyone--especially me.


(What can I say, I love trees. I remember traveling through Yosemite park one summer and there came a moment as we motored through a particularly beautiful stand of trees that I could literally feel the spirit of the trees reach out and touch me. It was so powerful that it brought tears to my eyes.)

Blogging from A to Z: E is for Elephant

Amazing elephant birth

E is for elephant,

a mother no less,

who gave birth in captivity

despite the bars and the mess

She cried when her baby

appeared to be dead,

but didn't give up

and revived it instead.

(When I first saw this clip, I was touched by the motherly instinct in this elephant. It showed me the sensitivity of this wonderful breed of animals).

Blogging from A to Z: D is for Dog

D is for dogs,
they uplift and inspire,
or just make you smile.
If you don't believe me
watch this clip for a while.


(When I first saw this story about a blind dog that helps others on YouTube it made me smile and cry at the same tine.)

Blogging from A to Z: C is for Canyon

C is for canyon,
majestic and grand,
created by years 
of wind laced with sand.
It's carved coral stone
goes on without end,
inspiring the story
of the first book I penned.


(Bryce Canyon is the setting for my very first novel, Promises is a middle-grade historical fiction book based on the true story of a girl who grew up next to the canyon and played among its hoodoos before it became a national park)

Blogging from A to Z: B is for Baby

B is for babies,

so cute, soft, and small, 

who are so fun to hug,

cuddle, and maul.

And when they smile,

they infect you too,

because you can't hold back

no matter what you do.

(I especially can't hold back smiling at this little guy. This is Liam, my 7 month old grandson).

Blogging from A to Z in April: A is for Author

A is for authors,
of which I am one
who joined with these others
at a retreat and had fun.
They inspired me to use
social media more.
So I joined the A to Z challenge
to blog the whole of month four.
I'll post things that uplift and inspire,
or just makes me smile.
What a great way to blog
after being gone for a while.

(Above picture taken last weekend at the IWriteNetwork semiannual writer's retreat at a cabin in the Wasatch Mountains. I had an awesome time; met new writing friends, learned lots, and finished up the edits on my latest book, Escape From East Germany--a companion book to The Hitler Dilemma).

Starting My New Year Out Right--With a Good Book: Betrayed, by Rhonda Hinrichsen

With the coming of this new year comes a commitment from me to do better at posting on my blog. My major house renovation is almost complete. We hope to be finished by the end of this month. We have to be finished by mid February. We've sold our currently home and have to be out by Feb. 19. That said, by the end of February I hope to have my life settle back down to normal. Which includes lots of writing. I can't believe that I have worked almost daily on fixing up the bank-owned house we purchase in November of 2013. If I could have invested the same number or hours that I spent up at that other house into writing, I would have a blog with tons of followers, not to mention  several best sellers in the form of novels. (It doesn't hurt to dream).

To start the blogging new year off, I want to share a new book with you that I really enjoyed. It is entitled Betrayed, by Rhonda Gibb Hinrichsen. She is not just a friend of mine, but a fellow author who is very talented. Below is the review I posted in Goodreads:

I was immediately drawn into this story on the first page. The author Rhonda Gibb Hinrichsen continued to keep me turning the pages as she wove the story of a young girl who loses her family with that of a young women faced with hard decisions concerning love. I don’t generally read romance novels, but then I wouldn’t classify this as a strict romance novel. Betrayed had a well-balance mix of action, suspense, and romance, making for a very enjoyable read that I would easily recommend to a reader of all three genres.

I am very busy, and I have a history of finishing only a fraction of the books I start reading. If a book doesn’t draw me in by the first chapter, I don’t want to invest the time in a book I’m unsure I’ll like. But I was delighted when I read Betrayed—it has been quite some time since I’ve found a book that connected to me as a reader as this one did.