Lucia of Fatima: Episode 5 Lucia is my fifth book of historical fiction—and dramatically different. Unlike the other stories, I won’t create fictional characters nor will there be imaginative plot lines. Every character will be real; every event will have actually happened.  Now that presents a problem. How do I keep the facts straight without … Read moreLucia of Fatima: Episode 5

Welcome to episode 4 of Lucia of Fatima. As you may know, I am writing the story of Lucia Santos-the primary visionary in the famous apparitions of the Blessed Mother to three children in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. First, I want to report that I experienced a writer’s nightmare—my computer crashed. Fortunately, I saved the 26,000-word … Read moreLucia of Fatima: Episode 4

Here I am back home after a pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, ready to continue our journey into the creative process of writing a book. Historical fiction has been my genre. This requires research to get the facts correct. Unlike my other four books, this story required virtually no fictional characters or plot lines. The … Read moreLucia of Fatima: Episode Three

Here we go with episode 2 of Lucia of Fatima in which the writer takes you into her hobbit hole – the place where she retreats into the mysterious world of creativity. I set the alarm for 4 AM and climb out of bed. It is a time of silence, hot tea, and reading scripture. … Read moreInto the Hobbit Hole

Ever wonder how an author writes a story? Sometimes I put down a book like Anne of Green Gables and try to imagine how Lucy Maud Montgomery created Anne. The little orphan girl jumps off the page as a living, breathing character. Let me give you an example. Here is the moment when Matthew Cuthbert first … Read moreLucia of Fatima

                                  One late summer day I stood at the kitchen sink washing dishes, not knowing that I was in for a surprise. I glanced at the lilac bush growing near the side of our old New England farmhouse. Soap suds bubbled up on my hands as I paused in the midst of my chore. Lilac … Read moreLost in the Soap Suds

Perhaps you have been busy having fun in the sun and missed the big news. On August 3rd, a pilgrimage was organized by a gifted seminarian, Joseph Moreshead. Young and old alike walked along the Kennebec River to honor Father Sebastian Rale, a Jesuit missionary who lived among the Abenaki people for thirty years and … Read moreA Saint from Maine?

Twenty- six years have passed since natives of Maine have graciously accepted this Bostonian as one of them. They have been patient with me as I learned a new way of life. No longer did I live in a Boston suburb, complete with neatly mown lawns and neighbors who lived wicked close to you. We … Read moreYou can’t get there from here!

One fine day in 1876, Dr. Augustin Thompson entered his laboratory and shut the door behind him. It was time to think. It was time to experiment. It was time to invent a nerve tonic that would cure paralysis, softening of the brain, and nervousness. Dr. Thompson himself was nervous. Why? He had just sunk … Read moreIt Takes Moxie to Drink Moxie!

Yesterday I sat in the doctor’s office and perused magazines. A women’s issue caught my eye. I won’t tell you the actual name. Let’s just call it the Miracle Magazine. The cover alone was packed with miraculous remedies. Here is a sample: “Rinse away tiredness!” “The candle scent that will make your hair 30% thicker!” … Read moreNeed a Remedy? Read this!