When I was a kid, my mom was very protective. I could ride my bike from corner to corner. But not around the block. She wanted to stand in our driveway, turn her head to the left and to the right and be able to see me. On occasion she’d loosen the leash just a little. She’d let me walk, along with my little sister … Continue reading Candy-coated memories
Welcome to “Behind the Book,” our fun new Chicks on the Case feature! Join us as we Chicks share the real stories behind our stories: Inspiration, motivation, frustration, jubilation– research, rewrites, tidbits– you’ll find them all right here… Hi, Vickie here. Authors often get asked how much research we have to do for each book. So, I thought I’d share a peek into a tiny bit … Continue reading Behind the book: My Fair Latte
A few weeks ago I mentioned on the blog that my niece was getting married the first weekend in July, and that hubs and I were driving down to Tennessee for the wedding. (It was beautiful — and so was the bride!) We generally head south for Christmas to visit with my and John’s family. This was the first time we had traveled down south … Continue reading I’ll have some sweet tea, hon
Recently I was looking through some old photos, mug shots, pictures of me at events, signings, and other promotional type stuff. It occurred to me that “the Cloud” enables me to hang on to crummy photos almost indefinitely. It also occurs to me that I need some new photos. I’m not terribly vain, so I decided to share some of the outtakes with you. (These … Continue reading I need some new photos
Harry Potter turned 33 last week. (Not the one who went to school at Hogwarts, but the one (aka Daniel Radcliffe, who was born in London and who, apropos of nothing, is still only 5 ft. 5 inches tall. This makes me feel a bit old, since Harry is eternally 8 years old to me. I had a birthday in May that was a millstone, … Continue reading Sunrise, sunset
Friday was May 5 – Cinco de Mayo! I don’t have any Mexican heritage that I’m aware of. But hubs and I didn’t let that prevent us from celebrating in our own quiet way. I made taco salad. We imbibed some margaritas. Viva tequila! And we watched Nacho Libre, a fun movie we’ve seen several times before. Saturday, we moved from tequila to tea, watching … Continue reading An international weekend at home
Hard to believe it’s almost Easter. Hard for me to believe I’ve reached the age where the weeks and months pass so quickly! When I was a kid my mom would say stuff like: Where did this month go? This year has just flown by. Christmas will be here before we know it! I thought she was crazy. It seemed to take forever for Spring … Continue reading The Egg and I
Some things have felt a bit overwhelming for me lately, which has led me to think a lot about perspective. The church I attended as a child had a steeple atop the chapel. After worship services had long since moved into the new auditorium, a grade-school friend and I climbed through the old baptistry and into the steeple which housed the by-then silent bells. It … Continue reading A matter of perspective
I was unexpectedly reduced to tears last week. I’m just getting over Covid, and my eyes are still watering a bit, but without emotion. Mid-January also marks the anniversary of my dad’s death, which also elicits tears – but those were not unexpected. Then Lisa Marie Presley died suddenly. I stared at the TV report and sobbed. I have cried after hearing about the death … Continue reading Lights out in Memphis
I stumbled upon a Tweet thread on Twitter this week that caused me to have a flashback. A newish author shared that she was invited to talk about her book at a book club meeting. Turns out she had a very similar experience to one I had. Spoiler: No one was the least bit interested in talking about the book. To be clear, they had … Continue reading Whine club?
It hit me over the weekend that it’s the middle of November! Many of you who run your life by a fancy planner, or you know, look at the calendar every day, may have already been aware of this fact. But what does this actually mean? It is only six weeks until Christmas. Realizing I’m already behind on the season, and having been bombarded with … Continue reading In a pickle for the holidays
Things I love about October: leaves changing color, widely available pumpkin spice options, and Halloween decorations and movies. Leaves are ablaze with color here in the Marquette area. The most spectacular fall displays in the Upper Peninsula are actually in the Keweenaw Peninsula, in case you’re planning a visit. It’s a couple of hours drive from our home to the middle of the Keweenaw. Hubs … Continue reading What’s fab about October?
Chicks on the Case 