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Where I Write – Between the Dishes and the Dog
May 12, 2012 in: Writing
The dishes have to be washed before I can write. The kitchen of my 1920s cottage-style house was remodeled several years ago, long before I got the house, and a desk was built in the kitchen. I’ve settled into it as my writing nook. I can sit here and look out the front door or out [...]
continue readingCalled To Write Contest Winners
April 18, 2012 in: Writing
I am very proud of two fellow writers at Pages From Stages winning awards in the contest at the recent Called To Write conference. Sara Meisinger won first place in the adult fiction category with “Autumn’s Grace.” Kathy Gronau placed second in children’s fiction with “Little Star Goes to Bethlehem” and third in poetry with [...]
continue readingMy Favorite Writer’s Conference – It’s Coming Up!
March 7, 2012 in: Writing
If you are a writer, or have have entertained that idea, and live anywhere in the Midwest, you have an amazing opportunity. The Called To Write Conference will be April 13-14 in Pittsburg, Kan. At just $80, it is one of the most affordable conferences you’ll find. It also has an uplifting, Christ-centered Spirit that [...]
continue readingReflections on Mark Twain’s river
November 28, 2011 in: Reflections on the Riverseparator=, &Writing
The first time I read Huckleberry Finn was in third grade. If memory serves correctly, I had to get special permission from Mrs. Gates the librarian to check it out for an extra week so I could finish. She was good at encouraging kids to read that way. Much of the symbolism was lost on [...]
continue readingNight at the Museum
November 18, 2011 in: Reflections on the Riverseparator=, &Writing
The St. Joseph Women’s Press Club met at the St. Joseph Museum this week and hostess Jackie Lewin helped us experience the Civil War. We started with an authentic Civil War era meal made by club members. Jackie made “interpretive” tags for each [...]
continue readingConference Highlights from ACFW
October 2, 2011 in: Writing
The American Christian Fiction Writers annual meeting Sept. 22-25 in St. Louis was a fabulous time. It’s so inspiring to hang out with authors, editors and agents. From beginning writers to award-winning authors, we all share a love of words and using them to spread the gospel. Here are Laura Franz, author of Courting [...]
continue readingNews Leader columnist writes first book
August 31, 2010 in: Writing
Special thanks to reporter Jacki Wood and Kay Wilson, my first newspaper editor, for writing and publishing this news article about the release of our book. By Jacki Wood Nodaway News Leader A random conversation on a mission trip several years ago sparked an idea. And that idea eventually blossomed into Susan Mires’ recently published [...]
continue readingJourney to the Seasons of the Tallgrass by Deborah Vogts
August 4, 2010 in: Writing
Reflections on the River has a special guest blogger, my friend and author Deborah Vogts, who tells her experiences researching for her contemporary Christian fiction series set in the Flint Hills of Kansas. In April 2008, I received “the phone call” from my agent, Rachelle Gardner, that Zondervan had made an offer on the Seasons of the Tallgrass, [...]
continue readingChicken Soup for the Soul released!
September 22, 2009 in: Writing
Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog releases today nationwide. Open it up and there on page 188 is my story “Being A True Buddy.” I got my free copies yesterday and it was quite a thrill. I shared a copy with my neighbor lady, a fellow dog lover with a [...]
continue readingOne Word: Twitter
September 18, 2009 in: Writing
This started with a facebook post by my friend Jeanne. The challenge was to answer a number of questions about yourself (That’s what I love about facebook — it’s so interested in me, always asking my opinion!) This questionnaire was unique in that you could only use one word for each answer. It proved a [...]
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