A Contemplative Life

It's ALWAYS a thrill and pleasure to announce the release of a new novel! Somehow that never gets old. Can't Be Done Alone: The Hawk Book Five is a story close to my heart for the subject matter introduced, as well as a new character, dear to Pastor Marek Jaworski. Funny to think halfway through this saga new faces are still emerging, but with five novels left in The Hawk , some of the plot had to shift from Eric and Lynne Snyder, Renee and Sam Ahern too. This installment focuses on Seth Gordon, cousin to Laurie Abrams. Seth's story becomes paramount to Eric, once he learns that Seth isn't returning to New York from Florida despite the Synders' having left for home. That niggle turns into a nightmare for Eric, who cannot shake the sense of being torn from his family, especially now that Lynne is pregnant with their second child. Only after a heartfelt discussion with his pastor and friend does Eric begin to find peace, but it's short lived after Stanford Taylor...

Always a pleasure to announce the release of a new novel; Nothing More Complicated: The Hawk Book Four has been a joy to my heart in these difficult times. Despite the blithe title, this novel addresses the effects of depression on three characters, and how their beloveds address a malady that in the early 1960s, when this novel is set, was rarely discussed. This story is also about patience. And healing. And how meaningful is family to which we weren't born, but have found love and comfort within. And this novel sets the stage for a major shift in the plot; Eric's issues have been the main topic for perusal, however a deeper layer awaits, which I did NOT foresee when beginning this tale back in the fall of 2013. It was merely going to be about a man who, well, changed. A LOT. And how that affected his wife and their friends. But sometimes a depth is plumbed little by little, which at times is all we can absorb. This series is that kind of character-driven saga. Below is the f...

A possible cover shot for an upcoming installment of The Hawk . This was the view at our second residence while living in England. Sometimes, well into writing a manuscript, I realize the true purpose for said story. Occasionally it's not at all related to why I began telling that tale; The Enran Chronicles qualifies, as do drafts I'll never publish, yet just as vital to me are those yarns spun for reasons only I needed to grasp. When I started writing The Hawk , I thought it was going to be a short story. Laughing Out Loud! As it became something far more encompassing, I accepted it was a way to work through massive personal issues; becoming a grandmother as my father died, finding my role as a woman no longer that young, etc, etc, etc. But well into a third of the saga emerged previously unplanned characters and story lines which are some of the most meaningful I have been blessed to translate from my heart onto a virtual page. The scene that follows is but one example, as S...