It doesn't matter as much what Maria's family thinks, but the fact that despite what her uncle did to her when she was twelve, she found the guts to tell her story. It wasn't easy. She told me how her father accused her of being a liar and her mother called her trouble-maker. Her abuser... Continue Reading →
What would you do if I invited you to a funeral without a casket? You’d probably assume the dead had been cremated, right? But what if I told you they were still alive? You might even think of calling the police because you’re afraid I’m going to “off” somebody Godfather style. Of course, if you... Continue Reading →
A memoir is conceived when the truth can no longer be ignored. The erasure of truth started decades ago in my childhood — one little lie at a time. I’ve always been aware of these lies, but the price of admittance to the family circle was to keep my mouth shut and not rock the... Continue Reading →
Hi Friends, Here is an excerpt from my newly released Memoir Chasing Eden: Momma hated going to the laundromat, but I loved it. Dirty clothes gave us an excuse to get out of the motel room and talk by ourselves for a couple of hours with no Daddy to interrupt, no younger kids to... Continue Reading →
Silence is an old friend to me. I first met silence when I was one week old. I don’t remember it of course, but my parents told this story to me so many times, I’ve memorized it. As a sanguine baby, I was alone in my crib, crying for someone to hang out with me,... Continue Reading →
One of the first stories my mom ever told me was of her waking up to discover that our clothes hanging over the woodstove had caught fire, blocking our exit from the Alaska cabin we lived in when I was two. If she hadn’t awakened, I wouldn’t be writing this right now. Thus began my... Continue Reading →
You survived a hard childhood or a crazy marriage or got kidnapped by Oompa Loompas, and now you want to write a memoir about it. Some of your biggest obstacles are family members. Aunt Tilly accuses you of not honoring your parents and your kid sister is calling you a liar. What to do? Let’s... Continue Reading →
When one of my sisters informed me she’s not a “winged monkey,” I laughed. I told her I could tell she'd been talking about me because the only other person who’s ever used that term is my other sister. The term flying monkey comes from the movie The Wizard of Oz. The reason my sisters were... Continue Reading →
When my teacher asked what I could bring for the Christmas party, I remembered Momma and Daddy arguing over grocery money, so I whispered that we didn't have much money for food. He patted my shoulder, winked at me and said, “Then you just bring ketchup.” He probably assumed we had ketchup in our refrigerator... Continue Reading →
If anyone ever tries to tell you Thanksgiving is all about the food, don't you dare believe them. It's been twenty years this month, but I’ll never forget my worst Thanksgiving dinner ever and the lessons learned. After living in another state for several years, my husband and I had moved back to the Northwest and... Continue Reading →
