February brings blizzards in Maine. It is a perfect time of year to read William Steig’s book Brave Irene. Every page is graced with enchanting illustrations that remind me that beauty is powerful. The Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote, “Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend for the hearts of men.” In our fatigue … Read moreBrave Irene: Book Review

I sat in the darkened movie theater and watched the final credits roll across the screen. The movie was finished, and it was time for me to walk out of the theater and get on with the busyness of life. Normally, that is the routine. Not this time. I was stunned, barely able to talk. … Read moreA Hidden Life: Movie Review

Welcome back to this journey in which we learn what it is like for a writer to create a character and the world in which she lives. But wait, you say, you are not creating a character! Lucia Santos was a real person!  That is true. Many books have been written about the children of Fatima … Read moreLucia of Fatima: Episode 6

  . I cannot think of a better Christmas gift to give the young reader in your family than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe—included on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best Young-Adult Books of all time. Set in the fantasy land of Narnia, it is a classic battle of good versus evil, a place where it … Read moreThe Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

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