A Stone House in Oceanside

A Stone House in Oceanside

There are several scenes in Leaving Ordinary, which are set in St. Paul, Minnesota. One of my St. Paul research topics was boardinghouses in the 1920s. …

Louise Watches Over

Louise Watches Over

During the rounds of Leaving Ordinary edits, I dropped into a mental hole of ugly and semi-brutal, weeks of self-doubt. I asked myself, Was my novel any good? …

Louise's Meet & Greet

Louise's Meet & Greet

I began writing fiction in the Fall of 2014. In February 2015, I took an opportunity to go to a four-day Haven Writing Retreat in Whitefish, Montana. The retreat sounded fun …

Chill-out Pass

Chill-out Pass

Several days after I published my first novel Hiking In, I felt lousy and was out-of-sorts. I wasn’t ill. I hadn’t participated in any overly vigorous exercise. I chalked it up to having a few ‘not great’ days. Almost a month later, a reader generously notified me that in the novel's Author Notes, I had a misspelling. Somehow ‘Chilkoot Pass’ had been changed to ‘Chill-out Pass.’

Why do you Run?

Why do you Run?

Let’s get this out of the way first, I am aware that I’m a privileged white woman. I walk, hike, run, bike, and enjoy many other physical recreation activities. I’ve lived …

Food Preparation

Food Preparation

In the outdoor backpacking community, and I suspect beyond, there is an adage that ‘you pack your fear.’ My fear is …

Italy Travel Tips

Italy Travel Tips

*These tips were gleaned during a December 2019-January 2020 Italy trip.

Legacy List

Legacy List

This January 2020, I discovered the show The Legacy List hosted by Matt Paxton. Paxton and his crew are invited into Baby Boomer homes to help pack up the household before moving. He asks the homeowner(s) for a legacy list  …

Bridging Fun

Bridging Fun

In November of 2019, I attended a classical chamber ensemble performed by the Gewandhaus Woodwind Quintet. The evening was co-sponsored by several partners, including the Germanic-American Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota and Wunderbar Together (love this name), a Germany and American friendship organization.