Traces of the past in the Roman countryside
One of the (many) things I love about Italy are the brushes with the past no matter where you go. We came upon the remnants of this Ancient Roman aqueduct in the fields between Tivoli and Castel Madama. Even though you see these all the time, it never fails to put me in a good…
Read MoreReal life locations of my short stories
I love anything associated with travel, so it’s not a surprise that a strong sense of place is important to me as a reader and writer. My latest short story collection, “Drink Wine and Be Beautiful”, is largely set in Italy. I thought I would share some of the locations that play a role in…
Read MoreWeekend bliss in the mountains of Abruzzo
I always love trips out to the mountains, but this year, I was having a tough time managing a weekend mountain escape. But the first weekend of July, I did manage to hop out for a short visit in Italy’s Apennine mountains, and it was glorious. I often go out to Italy’s Abruzzo region, to…
Read MoreMy June 2023 reads
Another great month of reading. I travelled from an isolated home in a rural corner of Ireland where a killer may or may not be on the loose, to a small Connecticut town where a recent widow is trying to kickstart her life, and her failing bookstore, as she tries to reclaim her life and…
Read MoreOne night in Tolentino, Marche
It wouldn’t be summer for me without a healthy does of Track Tourism… Yes, it’s true I’m driving my son all over the Italian peninssula for his track races. But it’s Italy, so I’m always discovering new (beautiful) places. The latest discovery for me was the inland town in Italy’s Marche region – Tolentino. Almost…
Read MoreStop the Trigger Warning madness
Call me old fashioned, but I grew up in the sticks and stones generation. Words are not violence. And people who lived before us did not buy into whatever PC language laws were invented by the mob five seconds ago. But this whole censorship-friendly environment is really getting out of hand. Roald Dahl stories had…
Read MoreA surprise visit to Avellino
Because of his qualifying time in a track event, my son was asked to compete in an invite-only race in Aventino, in Italy’s Campania region. It’s about a three-hour drive south of Rome, and I decided to take the day off and accompany him there. I was excited to see him run, and to hopefully…
Read MoreA garden of one’s own
With a nod to Virginia Woolf, a woman who writes may need a room of her own … but a lovely English garden will also do quite nicely… I coveted this garden daily during my time in Durham, England. While there for the Historic Novel Society meeting this past September, I was staying in a…
Read MoreViews from Prague’s Charles Bridge
No visit to Prague is complete without crossing the famous Charles Bridge (Karlův most) – as one can see from the (seemingly) Times Square-level of tourists passing by it each day. Nevertheless, it’s a must on any trip, and truly is picturesque in all weather conditions. I still have memories of living here years ago…
Read MoreHalf-way through my 2023 Goodreads Reading Challenge
Half-way through my Goodreads Reading Challenge, having read 23 of the 45 novels I pledged to read this year. It’s been a great year of books so far. Thirteen of the twenty-three books I’ve read have been NetGalley reads. Six of the twenty-three have been from fellow Women’s Fiction Writers Association authors. What about you…
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