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Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop, where a bunch of authors get together to discuss various topics. This week we’re discussing mother-daughter relationships.

I’m lucky. Really lucky. I have a great mother. I’ve written about her in previous posts. No matter how hard it was, she always supported her children’s efforts. Growing up, I could talk to her about almost anything. (There are always things you don’t want to share with your mother.) She taught me everything I needed to know about kindness and caring, as well as sharing with me her love of reading.

It took me a long time to see it, but people always said I looked like my mother.I had to grow into it, but It turns out that I do. And I’ll take it as a compliment because she’s a beautiful lady. (that’s her to the left, me below.)

Once I became a mother myself, our relationship changed. I can’t say for the better, it was just different. But maybe that’s because we had a whole new range of topics to discuss. Lots of people are scared when they realize what taking care of a baby means, but not me. I had a great example to follow. Besides, I’d helped babysit my younger brothers and sisters, so I knew about changing diapers and washing bottles.

Although I worry about it, I think I’ve been a good mother. My kids are grown-ups now, and within the past year, I became a grandmother.Never expected it for a variety of reasons, but I’m glad it happened. And I think I can see the relationship between my daughter and myself changing as a result. For the better, of course.












And my daughter looks a lot like me. More importantly, I see in her the same kind of love and caring that I see in my mother. Hopefully, I had a hand in passing that on to her. She’s already proving herself to be a great mother.




Feel free to share your stories about your mothers in the comments. To find out what other authors had to say, check out the links below.You can start with Kelly Williams. Here’s a link to her blog. K. Williams. And don’t forget to check out her books while you’re there. 

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What do you do to prepare your home or garden or yard for winter?


We no longer have much in the way of a garden. Between the altitude, latitude and semi-desert conditions, it’s tough to grow much. I’ve taken to putting most of my flowers into pots so that I can put them in the garage for the last freezes or afternoon spring hailstorms. That makes winter preparations a breeze. Most of the flowers are annuals, and I allow them to follow the natural rhythms of nature. In the spring, I’ll empty out the old dirt from the pots and start over again.


With one exception. I’ve got one geranium that I’ve managed to keep alive for five years now. I bring it inside each fall and baby it through the long winter. Between the limited natural sunlight of short days and the artificial sunlight from a specialty bulb, the geranium may not thrive but it survives. That month after I bring it in, however, while it’s still in full bloom, is enough of a reward for the extra effort.





I normally put in one tomato plant each year. Because I don’t start to get tomatoes until September, it doesn’t make sense to to put in more. As it is, before the first frost, I end up harvesting all the tomatoes with even a hint of red color, wrapping them in newspaper and putting them in a dark place. That allows most of them to ripen (over several weeks) to a point where they can be enjoyed. (If you’ve never done this, the trick is to check the tomatoes every few day and catch them before they are fully ripened. You can finish them up on a windowsill if you have one. You want to make sure and use them before they start to rot,)


Depending upon the year and the weather, I might need to mow the yard one more time. I’ve been told it’s a good idea to put down some weed-n-feed after the first snowfall, but I haven’t tried it. Maybe this year.





Luckily, there’s not much I need to do to get the house itself ready for the winter. And winters can get cold here. Our windows are double-pane glass, so no need to put up storm windows and take down screens. I make sure I have a supply of salt for the sidewalk and steps, and know where my snow shovel is. I’ll drain the hoses, roll them up, and store them away in the garage. If I’m in the mood, I’ll wash the windows one final time. It’s nice to be able to watch the first gentle snowfalls through clean windows.




Sp what do you do to get ready for winter? Tell us in the comments.


And if you want to find out what are other authors have to say, check out the links below. I’m eager to find out what Lela Markham has to say. You can find her post at Lela Markham. You can check out her books while you’re there, or catch them on Amazon. Lela on Amazon

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Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop. This week we’re talking about our methods of relieving stress.


Anyone here remember MAD Magazine’s mascot, Alfred E. Neuman? I know, I’m dating myself, but he’s one of my heroes. His slogan was “What, me worry?” That’s been my mantra for much of my life. Only I take it a little farther.

See, when I find myself worrying about something, the first thing I ask myself is can I do something about it? If the answer is yes, then I need to get my act together and just do it. And if I can’t do anything about it, then I need to find something better to spend my energy on.


Shoot, if my mother’s stories are true, I had the same attitude as a baby. I was born weeks late, and when I finally decided to make my appearance, I was sucking my thumb. Yes folks, I was sucking my thumb while my poor mother spent hours trying to give birth to me. Of course,it was all for show, because I’m told I never sucked my thumb after that.

Now, if I’m being honest, I will admit that there are a few things that make me stressed. When my now grown-up kids were having issues as children, I stressed about how I could help them. When economics meant I needed to stretch not enough money too far, I stressed. When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I stressed. (She’s a survivor!)

Then I got out of my chair and did something. What I did depended upon the situation. But even making the plan of what I needed to do would help relieve the stress. Of course, I have some standard remedies for stress relief. I guess they came to me instinctively, because they are things I’ve done since I was a youngster.




I’ve always liked going for hikes and long walks. Growing up I lived in the country, and I’d spend hours walking along the nearby back roads and through the forests and meadows. I may not have as much time to do that as I used to, but I still go exploring when I get the opportunity,




If you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I do needlecraft. (Didn’t catch that post? Check the archives for the July Crafty Things post.) I find it totally relaxing to poke a needle and thread (or yarn) through canvas or cloth and end up with something beautiful. (At least in my humble opinion!)

My habit of getting up to the mountains whenever I can is another way to shed any stress I might be feeling. I say that the mountains “feed my soul.” I lived for too many years near sea level, and I spent a lot of time plotting how to get back to hilly country. I’m here now, and I’m still plotting how I can get even nearer and stay longer!








Finally, there’s my writing. Frankly, it causes me stress at the same time it relieves stress. Trying to find the right words can me a real headache. But once I finally get a story down, it’s such a satisfying feeling that I have to start all over again.


Want to find out what how other authors relieve stress? You can click on the links below, but I suggest you start over at Traci wooden-Carlisle’s blog. Check out her books while you’re there. Traci Wooden-Carlisle  (Isn’t that a beautiful cover?)






And feel free to leave a comment and tell us how you relieve stress. 

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This week on the Open Book Blog Hop: Songs from your past. Share your high school music loves.


Rebellion. That was the theme of music during my high school years. It was the height of the Vietnam protest era and the songs we listened to reflected the political discontent of the generation.


“Revolution” by the Beatles may have been a B side song, but it’s popularity couldn’t be denied. There were several versions, but the words expressed the feelings of many of my peers. Revolution. After all, we wanted to change the world.


If you’ve never heard it, take a listen. Or listen to it again. For some of us, it never gets old. In fact, it’s one of the songs my mother made the rule for—it could only be played once, and not over and over.

But the Beatles were tame compared to some of the other music. Woodstock introduced many groups to a wider audience. Some are still well-known, others have faded into history. Country Joe and the Fish may never have received much radio airtime as their Vietnam song didn’t meet decency standards, but their songs were made popular by word of mouth. Vietnam Song





Putting together this list reminded me of so many other great songs. There’s WAR by Edwin Starr and the Rolling Stones’ Paint It Black. There’s the Eve of Destruction and Fortunate Son.




But not all the popular songs were protest songs. Top songs ranged from Tony Orlando’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” Ribbon  to John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High. Rocky Mountain. Women singers had their share of popularity. Roberta Flack,Dionne Warwick, Janis Joplin, Carol King, Olivia Newton-John and Aretha Franklin all had major hits. Me and Bobby McGee was an anthem for every girl who longed to cut loose from society’s expectations and find themselves. 


Frankly, I could ramble on for a long time. So many songs, and I spent several hours reminiscing as I put this post together. So before I get off on another tangent—I haven’t even got to the country songs that crossed over to the popular lists—I’ll stop here and send you over to another of the authors. But before you leave, don’t forget to share the songs from your high school years in the comments.


PJ Fiala is the author of the Rolling Thunder Series. You can check out her books HERE  and see what music she listened to here PJ Fiala. 

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There are certain moments that define our lives and become part of our culture. The Kennedy assassinations, Kent State, Mount Saint Helens, the Challenger exploding, and of course, the events of September 11, 2001.

I’m not going to post any pictures for this entry. We’ve all seen them, and for those of us who lived through the day, they’re burned into our brain. Each time I see them, the terror  and sorrow of the day rushes back.

I was working in a small branch of a law-enforcement related agency. It was a fairly normal, busy day, with scads of paperwork to get down for the courts. I’m not sure which on my co-workers first alerted the rest of the office to the first plane crashing, but soon the word spread.

A TV was set up in an office so we could keep track of what was going on while continuing to work. We tried to keep things going normally—we had clients in and out of the office—but it wasn’t easy. When the second plane flew into the Towers, none of us could believe it.

I think the tears started flowing when the towers collapsed. 

When the plane plowed into the Pentagon, it  get personal. I have a brother who lived and worked in the Washington DC area, and although he didn’t work for the military, I was worried about him. I was also worrying about my sister, who sometimes—but rarely—went into New York for her job.  

About the time we heard the first reports of a plane flying around Pennsylvania, the building was evacuated. No one could imagine our little office would be a target for anyone, but no one could imagine any of the day’s events. I was freaking out, because most of my family lived in Pennsylvania—my parents in particular because they lived in rural are in the western portion of the state— and suddenly we were cut off from the news. There we were, standing in the hot Florida sun, watching the skies, while I worried about about my parents and my siblings. 

I didn’t even have a cell phone to call them. Luckily, a few of my co-workers did, and one let me use hers to try to reach my parents. It took too long to get through. The lines were overloaded and it took too many tries before I was able to establish a connection. Finally, I got ringing at the other end, and my mother picked up.

At that point, most of my brothers and sisters had checked in. Everyone was safe. The only sibling that hadn’t reached  out to my parents was in a location that appeared to be safe.

Eventually, we were allowed back inside and we went back to work. Not that anything went back to normal. 

One of the weirdest things over the next couple of days was the absence of planes in the skies overhead. There were always planes in the sky, no matter one time of the day or night as we lived along several major plane routes. To look around and see no contrails, and hear nothing but traffic and birds, felt like a scene out of a sci-fi flick.


And that’s my personal remembrance of 9/11. If you’d like to share yours, you can do it in the comments.

To read about the experiences of others in our hop, check out the links below. One of them is Kelly Williams. Here’s a direct link to her blog. Blue Honor

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We’re doing something different this week for the blog hop. We’re each reviewing a book of our choosing. The book I picked is Designing Samantha’s Love  by PJ Fiala.


Samantha–Sam–Powell has denied her emotions for too long. After a marriage gone wrong, ended by the death of her husband, she struggles with mixed feelings of loneliness and guilt. 


Grayson Kinkaide, owner of Kinkaide Architects, hasn’t fared well in matters of the heart. He believes he’s squandered his chance at true love somewhere along the way. When he and Sam have a chance meeting, they’re immediately attracted to each other.


But second chances don’t always come easy. Someone is determined to keep the two apart. Can Sam and Gray survive he threats long enough to give love a chance?


In Designing Samantha’s Love, PJ Fiala has given us a touching story of two people struggling to recreate themselves,  and at the same time,trying find a way to create a happily ever after.

PJ Fiala is  a wife of thirty years, a mother of four grown children and the grandmother of three lovely grandchildren. When not writing a new story,she can be found riding her motorcycle and exploring this fabulous country of ours. Her writing revolves around people anyone would love to spend time with. No self-absorbed billionaires for her.

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Welcome to another week of Meet The Author Open Book Blog Hop. This week’s theme is: What your secret passion/guilty pleasure?


When I wrote my first book, I didn’t tell anyone what I was doing, including my dearly beloved. I thought that I’d write one and get it out of my system. It didn’t work out that way and I have more ideas for books than I have time to write.  I was nearly done with my second book before I shared what I was up to with him. He thought I was reading or playing games on the computer.


And I didn’t share it with my coworkers until I worked up the courage to indie-release my fourth book. (Yes, there are three books I might go back to someday, see if I can whip them into shape and put them out there.) I took quite a bit of teasing about my writing because they couldn’t quite wrap their heads around the fact that this old lady wrote a paranormal romance. Now that I’ve released three the teasing has mostly died down.


But writing books was not my first venture into writing. My true passion for many years was poetry. In fact, I’ve been published internationally. I don’t claim to be great, but I think some of my poems are pretty darned good.


I’ll share just one with you, my favorite. P.J. Fiala, you might recognize the inspiration.

                     Beartooth Mountain Pass


I stand at the edge of eternity


Where the mountains and sky mingle
In a curious cacophony of watercolors
Where granite boulders,
With a furious freedom, defy gravity,
Hang in precarious unbalalnce
And do not fall
Where winter snows linger
Alongside short lived summer flowers

Where the world falls away from my feet
I teach myself to breathe again
12000 feet high

And that’s my not so secret passion. What’s yours? Tell us in the comments. And as always, if there’s anything you want to find out about us, let us know.


Before you leave, Have you checked out Lela Markham’s books yet? You can find her author page on Amazon HERE  

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Welcome to this week’s version of the Open Book Blog Hop, where you can find out more about our merry gang of authors. This week, we’re talking about our bucket lists. If there’s anything in particular you’d like us share, please let us know in the comments.

I’m a live-each-day-as-it-comes kind of person, so I’ve never had a bucket list.The way my life has played out, I’ve had the opportunity to do things that I’m guessing other people would envy.


I’ve played on Florida’s beaches from Jacksonville and all the way  along the coast to Panama Beach.  Not all in one trip, but over the years too-many I lived in that state. Some were impressive, others not so much. I certainly didn’t see all of them, but I walked on quite a few.

I’ve lived on both the East and West Coasts. I’ve traveled across the continental United States for work, and have been in almost every state. But I was working, so I didn’t have the chance to do much exploring. Still, I can claim I was there.


I’ve changed careers several times. I say I didn’t find what I wanted to do with my life until I was over 40 years old. And although I love what I do, I make no promises I won’t change jobs again.


But there are still a few things I’d like to do.


I’d like to make a mini-tour in tribute to John Denver. There will be only a couple of stops on that trip—Red Rocks near Denver where the John Denver tribute statue is located, the Colorado Music Hall of Fame, and of course Aspen, Colorado. 

I’d like to write a best seller. Maybe that’s more of a pipe dream than a bucket list item, but hey, I can dream, can’t I? I’m working in it, anyway. Maybe my next book. I can imagine walking into a book store and seeing a whole shelf of my books. And If I had Photoshop, I could make it happen!

Someday, I’d like to travel to Ireland, where my mother’s ancestors originated. The land has always held a certain attraction for me. Probably because I believe in magic and Ireland holds a mystical charm.

So do you have a bucket list? Tell us about it in the comments.


Before you click on another link and head over to another blog, don’t forget to check out Lela Markham’s books. You can find them on Amazon HERE. I wonder if Ireland is on her bucket list too. 

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