Best Books of 2024
After the holiday paper and ribbons have been scooped up, it’s time for the “Best of” lists to appear. Here’s my “Best Reads of 2024” list. I track my reading through GoodReads, more so that I don’t repeat books (sometimes I still do…), so it’s fairly accurate. This year’s list includes lots of fiction and […]
Christmas at Lone Tree Claim
Just like today, Christmas on the frontier of the 1860s was celebrated with homemade gifts for friends and family using the materials at hand to make those special gifts. In Lone Tree Claim, sheepherder Katie Rose Kelly learned how to weave using the wool from her sheep. Katie wrote about the Christmas gifts in her […]
Podcast questions: What’s your favorite book?
Part of marketing a book includes being a guest on podcasts. I must admit that it’s kinda fun. The podcast questions have also given me a new insight into myself. One of the questions that podcasters like to ask authors is “What’s your favorite book?” The answer is easy: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle While […]
Historical Novel Society reviews Lone Tree Claim
Book reviews, both reader reviews and professional reviews, are the lifeblood of authors. Reader reviews on sites like Amazon Books and GoodReads provide other readers with impressions about the book: Did the reviewer like the book or not? These reviews are vitally important – especially on Amazon, where my books average 4.4 stars out of […]
Medicine Creek Claim Christmas on the prairie
In some ways, Christmas on the frontier looked very different from today’s holiday. It was less commercial, but some traditions have endured.
Art has value
There is something magical about original art that AI can’t replicate. It’s the human touch that sparks emotions.
Research for When the Chokecherries Bloom
I felt that my newest book, When the Chokecherries Bloom, required special attention to detail – after all, I’m shaping young minds (Ok – a bit of an exaggeration)
What are you reading during Banned Books Week?
At a time when more and more books are being challenged or outright banned, the American Library Association writes: The theme for Banned Books Week 2024 is “Freed Between the Lines.”
Women Doctors in Dakota Territory
Medicine was an unconventional career path for women. In 1871, American Medical Association President Alfred Stille stated that women were “morally unfit” to be physicians.