The Actress and the Diaper Pail*

When I was five, my dad was stationed with the U.S. Navy on Guam, where we lived in a Quonset hut with

Kids Speak

My daughter broke her femur while trying to stop her bike by skidding on gravel when she was only six years old. I held her hand as she lay sedated on the table in the emergency room. We were both in tears. “Honey,” I whispered, stroking her head, “I sure wish I were the one with the broken leg instead of you.” In a groggy voice, she said,

The Sna-kirema

When was the last time you sat around and read a play aloud with your family or another group? You’ve never done that? Well, then, here’s one you’re welcome to use.

Dressing the Part

Last night my husband and I went to the annual church choir dinner, our first. I joined the choir in January, compelled by their amazing sound and contribution to the worship service.

Because I had been invited, as a newcomer, to be interviewed about my book at the dinner—what an opportunity!—I went out and bought a new outfit, a cheery green-and-white sundress with a matching bolero sweater. (In my defense, I must say it was hot the day I shopped and it is June after all.) The only problem was the dress wasn’t available in my size, and the neckline plunged a little too low, so I had to take in the side seams and shorten the straps. Mistake! The waist ended up just beneath the bust, which made me look pregnant, and the dress was now too short, so I had to let out the hem. Still barely covered my knees, but I wore it anyway, thinking others would be in sundresses, too.

Turned out to be a fancy occasion—candles on white linen—with about a hundred guests, most of whom wore some combination of black and white. At least 90% of the women wore longish skirts or slacks, and only four in the entire room sported anything near as bright as my summery ensemble. As if that weren’t enough, the stage was elevated. I wanted to crawl under the table. When the interviewer, who was dressed in a lovely long black skirt and matching sweater, called me up to stand next to her, I felt like Shirley Temple—before she became an ambassador. Arg!

Fortunately, the room was dimly lit, the interviewer didn’t mind that I edged her over so I could hide behind the podium, I was too focused on my notes to think (much) about the dress, and the audience laughed in the right places. Thank God! I hope they remember what they heard more than what they saw.

Such a miniscule thing in that grand scheme of things. Still, you’d think that by now, I’d have learned “what not to wear,” especially as the show of that name gave me the idea in the first place to wear something with a fitted waist. Oddly enough, on the day I shopped, I had tried on a long, dark, demure dress in my size—did I mention long?—that I didn’t buy because it seemed boring. I’m going back today to get it.

P.S. The evening was filled with great speakers, top-notch music, and lots of humor from those in choir ministry. I love singing with them, and last night, their affection and affirmation for one another (including newcomers) spoke volumes. I’m so glad we went.

First Author Interview

Judy Dearborn Nill

Today, I’m pleased to present an interview with author Judy Dearborn Nill, who recently released three of her Young Adult novels on Amazon.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 10. I was always trying to “rewrite” Nancy Drew and my other favorite stories. But about that time

One Step Back

Since the first of the year I have already received two rejections for my writing. Oh dear! One was in response to

Top 10 Typos

I typed that?

In the throes of writing a scene, I sometimes create sentences that startle me later. For example, in the book I just finished editing,

Filtering and Feelings (Revision Hurdles – Part 6)

After the major revision of my novel was done last week, I browsed through some editing books that pointed out

Life is like a Bus Ride

A couple of months ago, I took the bus through Seattle to a writers convention because I didn’t want the expense of storing my car at the hotel where my husband planned to meet after he got off work, nor the inconvenience of driving back home in separate cars. I was unprepared for

Not an Ordinary Forest

On Sunday after church we went for a walk in the forest. Not just any forest. A forest in Kitsap County where Godspell was playing.