Nairobi National Park and Elephant Orphanage
On a business trip to Nairobi, I had the luck to have a Sunday free. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough time to fly to one of Kenya’s spectacular game parks, but it did provide enough time to see all the big game, all within the city limits. The 117-square- kilometer Nairobi National Park is mere kilometers…
Read MoreA sense of place
Maybe it’s all the fault of my travel addiction, but a sense of place is so important to me as an author. Also as a reader. As I wrote in a previous post, Context reading , when I travel, I make an effort to take along novels set in my destination. It helps the destination…
Read MoreThe “dying city” of Civita di Bagnoregio
The beautiful medieval town of Civita di Bagnoregio, about 100 km north of Rome – within the province of Lazio and just along the border with neighboring Umbria- is known as la città che muore (the dying city). Dying is, unfortunately, just what Civita di Bagnoregio is doing. The city, originally founded by the Etruscans,…
Read MoreKreativ Blogger Award
I’m honored! I’ve been nominated for the Kreativ Blogger Award by another aspiring author, Amy, blogging over at Amy author blog. Thanks so much, Amy! I’m glad you’ve enjoyed my blog as much as I’ve been enjoying yours. According to the rules for those nominated, I have to: Thank the blogger who nominated me for the…
Read MoreI love Paris in the springtime…
… and all the time! I was just back in Paris for a long weekend. It’s a city I’ve adored ever since I was a girl and first visited it, falling hopelessly in love with the City of Lights. Since then, I’ve been back many times – including a long-ago semester abroad living with a…
Read MoreMy story won the 2012 SnoValley Writes! contest
I was very happy to receive the good news that my short story, Caves, won the 2012 SnoValley Writes! writing contest . This week, the peer writing group located in Snoqualmie Valley, Washington held their annual writing and jazz event and I was invited to attend to read my story to participants. If I weren’t…
Read MoreReason #5,356 to love Rome – The Palatine Hill in springtime
I have lived in Rome for – gulp – thirteen years, yet I still never tire of walking around and exploring my adopted city. Rome is a big, outdoor museum that has something spectacular to offer visitors – and Romans –seemingly around every corner. I live near the Palatine Hill and I walk by it…
Read MoreOn writing and procrastination…
As all writers worth their salt surely know, distraction lurks around every corner. That novel is simply begging to be finished, but everything seems to slow down its completion. It’s not just the demands of daily life, either. Many writers – myself included, I’m afraid – tend to favor the part of the writing process…
Read MoreWish I were here now – Tremiti Islands, Puglia
I love the beautiful Tremiti islands (Isole Tremiti) that lay 22 kilometers off the Gargano peninsula of Puglia, in the Adriatic Sea. One of the (many) things I love about Italy is that its beach destinations are cultural destinations as well. The Tremiti islands are no exception – offering history, nature, sunshine and sparkling blue…
Read MoreGetting critiqued
At some stage, every aspiring writer has to take the plunge and find readers to critique his or her work. While your mom or best friend may be willing participants, they may not come back with the honest criticism that you really need. Sooner or later, it’s time to find a critique group. The idea…
Read More