It's been over a month since I was in South Dakota. What's been happening since? Well, I've switched gears and dove into a Brides of Noelle story that Elisabeth Burke, Amanda McIntyre, and Danica Favorite helped me brainstorm while at the Wild Deadwood Reads event (early in June). If you've read The Calling Birds, then … Continue reading Getting Robyn Ready for Christmas #Summer #Writing #Christmas #Book
Canada Memories: The Log Driver’s Waltz #CanadaDay
The Power of Music & Memory Last Friday while working at my parttime job at the bookstore (hey, an author needs other jobs if she wants to eat regularly), the usual question came up: what music should we play today? Since Canada Day/July 1st was only a few days away, I thought of these two … Continue reading Canada Memories: The Log Driver’s Waltz #CanadaDay
South Dakota Memories: Tatanka, Story of the Bison
What does Tatanka mean? Tatanka is the Lakota word for “Big Beast.” For the Northern Plains People, the big beast (or bison) meant life in the form of food, clothing, housing, tools, and much more. What is Tatanka, the Story of the Bison? Tatanka is an educational center that I had the privilege of visiting … Continue reading South Dakota Memories: Tatanka, Story of the Bison
Photo Fun on My South Dakota Adventure! #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales
I've recovered from my long flight to South Dakota and from being on vacation with lovely people who adore books and history and horses - oh, wait, I'll never stop missing being near those people! See my photo fun to join my adventure...
My South Dakota Adventure has Begun! #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales #WildDeadwoodReads
It's my first morning in South Dakota. I love going places I've never been before. Finally, I'm going to see... Mount Rushmore - carved from 1927 to 1941 in the hopes of promoting tourism in South Dakota. Hey, it worked! I've always wanted to go to South Dakota because of Mount Rushmore and also because … Continue reading My South Dakota Adventure has Begun! #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales #WildDeadwoodReads
Revealing RESCUING RAVEN’s Word Cloud #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales
What's a Word Cloud? It's a picture of words with each word's size representing how often the word is found in a source of text - such as my short story, RESCUING RAVEN, that released May 1st in the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology. It's also a fun way to show what happens when Raven and Charlie meet … Continue reading Revealing RESCUING RAVEN’s Word Cloud #Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales
The Good, the Bad and the Villainous in Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales #Inspiration
For my newest release, RESCUING RAVEN (part of the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology), I had great fun including real-life villain Al Swearengen in my story. For me, Swearengen is the ultimate bad guy. He's smart and determined. He hasn't had an easy life. He's keen to make a better life - for himself. He'll go … Continue reading The Good, the Bad and the Villainous in Deadwood #WildDeadwoodTales #Inspiration
Can Flowers Feed our Souls and Bodies? #Nature #History #Inspiration
Flowers are inspiring! Seeing the return of the wild Camas & Bluebells blooming in my nearest park (Beacon Hill in Victoria, British Columbia) always revives my spirits and reminds me of this historical tidbit: Native Americans or First Nations used the Camas bulb as a food source. I'd never looked into that historical tidbit, but my story-in-progress, HEALING HOPE, finally … Continue reading Can Flowers Feed our Souls and Bodies? #Nature #History #Inspiration
WILD DEADWOOD TALES releases tomorrow! What Inspired 17 Stories Set in Deadwood? #WildDeadwoodTales
I was going to write here about Flowers & Food, but wait! Tomorrow (May 1, 2018) is release day for the WILD DEADWOOD TALES anthology, an inspiring multi-author anthology with 17 new stories set in Deadwood—and with all proceeds going to the Western Sports Foundation. What inspired these 17 brand new, never-published-before stories? The town of … Continue reading WILD DEADWOOD TALES releases tomorrow! What Inspired 17 Stories Set in Deadwood? #WildDeadwoodTales
How Doctors from Canada, USA, and Australia Inspired my New Heroine #History #Inspiration #Deadwood
Who were Jennie Trout, Susan La Flesche, and Constance Stone? They were three women born in different countries who all struggled to achieve careers in medicine in the 19th century. Lucky for their patients (and for future generations) they found the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (WMCP) where they studied to be doctors and leaders achieving historic … Continue reading How Doctors from Canada, USA, and Australia Inspired my New Heroine #History #Inspiration #Deadwood