Tale Half Told Author Interview

January 16, 2021.Reading time 20 minutes.

Killarney: I did the writing, and I would give it to her to review, chapter by chapter. [To Margaret] Then I’d call you up, panicked, and say, “OMG this won’t work!” And you’d be like, “We worked this all out…”

Ireland

January 14, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

I’ve never seen the Emerald Isle
Nor walked where Patrick trod,
But I’ve heard tell of it’s great beauty
Formed special by the hand of God.

The End of Christmas

December 29, 2020.Reading time 3 minutes.

The twenty-fifth of December has come and gone. The radio stations have gone back to their regular programming. The Lifetime channel is no longer showing Christmas movies (though Hallmark will continue through January 2nd). Stores are taking down their Christmas displays. Christmas trees are showing up on the side of the road. It seems like Christmas is over.

Peace on Earth

December 23, 2020.Reading time 4 minutes.

What is it about Christmas music that can steer our emotions so effectively? Sure, all music can do this, but I feel it most deeply with Christmas music…

Untamed

December 12, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

I’ll wear a dress and go to each dance,
But still will I fence and in secret wear pants.
I’ll smile and wave, speak genteel, polite,
And ‘scape out the window and run in the night…

A Witch and Equality

November 19, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I was thinking about Monty Python and the Holy Grail in all its ridiculous glory when I realized that similar skewed logic is used all the time in the real world, as if it were true logic. The conclusion seems sure before the argument, and as often as not, it is to the detriment of others.

Washing Dishes

October 22, 2020.Reading time 1 minute.

The biggest pile that e’re was seen
Of pots, pans, dishes, stacked and unclean,
Nigh on three feet of the countertop covering
I must begin soon ‘fore fruit flies start hovering!

Acorns Away!

September 22, 2020.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Oak trees like bombers
Soaring toward the sky
Laden with burdens
To loose upon the unsuspecting below…

Jane Austen and Me: A Reader’s Sojourn in the World of Classic Regency Romance

August 29, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

Pride and Prejudice was the first period drama novel I had ever read. It was on the summer reading list for my high school (I usually read every book on each year’s list, though only two were required). I enjoyed the book immensely. While Lizzy was practically me, I had Jane’s optimistic view of every person in my acquaintance. Kitty was understandable as well, as I, too, rarely got to do anything before my younger sibling…