Friday, October 3, 2025

Bibliophile's Corner

I am Jane Goodall
by Brad Meltzer

Synopsis:
After receiving a stuffed animal chimpanzee for her first birthday, Jane Goodall's love of animals only grew. She saw what humans and animals had in common, not what makes us different, and used that to advocate for animal rights everywhere, becoming famous for her work with chimpanzees.

My Thoughts:
With the passing of Jane Goodall earlier this week, I felt I could honor her in one small way by featuring this book review. I love how one little incident - Jane receiving a stuffed animal chimpanzee on her first birthday - reverberated through her entire life. The book includes Dr. Goodall's thirst for knowledge, her passion for curiosity, and her love of our planet and its creatures. My own granddaughter celebrated her first birthday yesterday; this book will definitely be read to her very soon! This title is the tenth book in the series: Ordinary People Change the World by Brad Meltzer & illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos. I highly recommend I am Jane Goodall to children up to seven years of age.

Friday, September 26, 2025

Storyteller's Journey

Livvi Biddle's Road Trip!

Since my husband and I had a road trip planned for the end of summer, I decided to take Livvi Biddle with us too! Below are the places that she visited, as well as a few added tidbits. Along the way, we met some really interesting and wonderful people!

Our first stop was Boise, Idaho. I'd not been to Boise since I was a little girl. We only stopped there as the place that would set us up to head south to our intended destinations. However, the hotel gave us a room with a view, so we had a delightful time on the deck overlooking the city! 

Leaving Boise on our way south, we stopped at Salt Lake City, Utah. I'd never been to that city, but unfortunately, we didn't have much time to spend on our tight schedule. When we left on September 9th, we drove through Orem and Provo on our way to Zion National Park. It wasn't until two days later that we realized we'd been in the general area of the abhorrent assassination of Charlie Kirk. The words of Governor Cox were good to hear.

As I mentioned two weeks ago, one of our best stays was at the Novel House Inn in Springdale, Utah next to the Zion National Park. Being in a literary setting was such a treat! The park itself was breathtaking; in some ways it felt magical. Livvi loved it! πŸ˜€


Our next stop was the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We'd been there twice before, but since we were headed to Flagstaff, we decided to visit it again. It's one of those special sites that you have a hard time wrapping your head around. Pictures just can't do it justice. If you've never been there, you really should plan a visit. Be sure to stay at El Tovar and visit the Hopi House. Spectacular!

We finally reached Flagstaff, AZ, one of our planned destinations since our nephew was getting married there. Prior to the trip, I'd booked this cabin because it was super-close to the wedding venue. Since we once owned a cabin, I thought it would be fun. Unfortunately, when we pulled up to the place, a dude sat in a rocker at a nearby cabin playing loud banjo music on a radio! No joke! Livvi didn't enjoy that very much. πŸ˜„

One of my favorite towns is Sedona, AZ. This time we stayed at an extraordinary place: El Portal. The hotel is filled with art, books, and antiques. It's also across the street from the world-famous Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village. Needless to say, this was the best lodging spot on our trip! https://elportalsedona.com/

By the time we got to Phoenix, AZ, the temperature was over 100 degrees! I'm really not a fan of temperatures over 85 degrees; thankfully, my brother has a pool - so Livvi and I went swimming! 🏊The reason for this stop, was not only to see my brother, but to retrieve items I'd inherited last year. We had a lovely time catching up with my brother Don; he could be a stand-up comedian! When we left, we were towing my things in a U-Haul trailer behind us.

Visiting Yosemite National Park in Central California has been on my bucket list for a long time. Since we were heading north after leaving Phoenix, we made a point to include that special spot. Like the Grand Canyon, pictures just don't do Yosemite justice. If you ever visit, be sure to take in Yosemite Valley, that's where you can get a great overview of the park. That's what we did, since we only had a day and a half to spend there. It was epic!


When we arrived in Medford, Oregon, it was beginning to feel like home. While the trees were mostly pine, a few Douglas fir and cedar were beginning to appear. What we realized was how much we'd missed; we needed to take another trip to visit the Redwoods, Sequoia, and Crater Lake National Parks! Livvi agreed. πŸ˜€

By the time we reached our home in Washington State, we'd traveled over 3100 miles through five states! What we learned, once again, is that people are the same wherever you go. By in large, the folks we met were incredible, even fascinating. Travel has a way of reminding you of that fact. Maybe that's why I chose to feature a different country in each novel of The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle. 

 

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Storyteller's Journey

The Arrival of Autumn!

As I write this post, I'm sitting in 100-degree weather in Phoenix! However, the calendar still says it's nearly autumn like it is back home in the Pacific Northwest. We'll be home by 9/20/25. Our road trip began nearly two weeks ago; its purpose to attend a wedding and to retrieve the items I inherited last winter after my mother's passing in Arizona. I also used the trip as a tour with my new middle grade book: Nimbus Over Normandy.

Check my post next week for a detailed account of my trip!

In the meantime, check out my recent quarterly newsletter here.

Wishing you each an awesome autumn season!

Friday, September 12, 2025

Storyteller's Journey

The Novel House Inn
Earlier this week we had the pleasure of staying at the Novel House Inn at Zion! What an amazing experience to see Zion National Park and to stay at an inn dedicated to novelists!

We stayed in the Rudyard Kipling room - so cool! It was complete with a four-poster bed that included a mosquito net, antique furniture, and jungle paintings; everything you'd expect to encounter in India of a bygone era.  Learn more about the Novel House Inn here.  

(Livvi Biddle was thrilled to visit this extraordinary location in Utah. In two weeks, I'll include some of the other spots she experienced along the way on our road trip!)


All in all, the majesty of Zion National Park was something that astounded me. It's not just the immensity of it, but the fact it goes on and on. We wished we had more time to spend in Zion - it brought me to tears.

Friday, September 5, 2025

Storyteller's Journey


My New Novel Just Released!

Last Tuesday, Sept. 2nd, my new middle grade novel NIMBUS OVER NORMANDY released! It's the second book in my fantasy series: The Time Travel Tales of Livvi Biddle.

Here is a brief synopsis in flap-copy style:

Livvi, Caden, and Mia have barely returned to Chilcott's Academy of Creativity for a new year before the magical and mysterious again confront them. Lord Abaddon has assigned the demise of Livvi Biddle to a new antagonist: the shrewd and sinister female agent, Lilith. In addition to the threat from that dark angel, the girls encounter an enigmatic neighbor in the form of Mrs. Dinwiddie, who bestows a peculiar prophecy upon Livvi. However, it is the girls' unexpected trip back in time where they meet an iconic artist in his country home that poses a truly colossal problem to their existence. Livvi and her pals desperately search for a path back to the present, while dealing with the customs of the past, all while Lilith schemes against them!


If you think you or a young person you know may be interested in reading my book, click the link here to connect you to my Amazon Page.  It's available in hardback, paperback, and e-book.

Thanks for all your support!

Below are a few more images of the book, as well as the first book in the series: THE SIBYLLINE SCROLL.




Thanks for all your interest and support over the years!

Friday, June 20, 2025

Storyteller's Journey

Time for Summer Vacation!

Each summer I take a break from blogging; this will be my last post until September. My son, Kevin, will arrive soon from Colombia, while my youngest son, Brian, will arrive from the East Coast next month. We're looking forward to having the entire family together which happens so rarely! In addition to those visits, my husband and I will take a six-state road trip, including a wedding in Flagstaff, Arizona, later this summer.

Click here to read my recent quarterly newsletter.

Stay tuned for the release of Nimbus Over Normandy!


Wishing each of you a sensational summer season!

Friday, June 13, 2025

Storyteller's Journey

My Summer Reading List

Each summer I attempt to catch up on my TBR (to-be-read) list; pictured on the left, are the books on my list this summer. Two books of poetry, two middle grade novels, one YA novel, and one biography/research book. I've always enjoyed a wide variety of genres when it comes to my taste in books...this is a great example of that. Since we'll be taking a super-long road trip later this summer, I have plenty to keep me busy.

Enjoy a great book this summer. Happy reading, everyone!