Barbara Williams of the Montgomery County Schools in Rockville, Maryland, wrote to me with a special request. Montgomery County schools are using my books as part of their elementary writing curriculum. Ms. Williams wrote to ask if I might use my blog to elaborate a topic that teachers feel needs special emphasis. The topic to [...]
Authors have mixed feelings about reviews. A good one can make you feel as if you’re on top of the world. A bad one ruins your day. At least, that’s how it is when you’re starting out and trying to build a career. When you’ve been around for awhile—in other words, if you’re an old [...]
Something happened to me today that made me shiver. Every now and then I’ll get a postcard from the universe; a subtle hint of where things are going. I didn’t like this one at all. I just got back from Florida a few days ago. I leave for a school visit in Istanbul in less [...]
Those of you who have been following my blog for a few years may remember my postings about a book I was writing. At the time the book was called Omar’s Snake or The Snake. I forget which came first. I’m terrible at titles. The title is usually the last thing I think of. I [...]
I make it a point to read Thomas Friedman’s columns in the New York Times. He always has thought-provoking comments about technology and politics, especially relating to the Middle East This Sunday his column was especially interesting. Its title was Watching Elephants Fly. Here’s the link. It’s worth reading. Friedman begins his discussion of the [...]
Happy New Year to all my friends! I have to apologize for not posting for far too long. First I was traveling. Then the holidays hit. Then I got sick. A bad case of bronchitis laid me low for two weeks. Needless to say, I got nothing done for the holidays. But now I’m back. [...]
I’ve noticed a funny thing about writing over the years. When you’re stuck and find yourself with no idea of what you’re writing or what you’re supposed to be doing, you can always find dozens of excuses for not writing anything. You have to go shopping; you have to run a wash; you have to [...]
I just caught a whiff of something significant blowing in the wind. Amazon announced that it’s starting a lending library. I’ll have to research this further. So far, this is what I’m getting from what I’ve read online. If you’re a member of Amazon Prime, you’ll be able to download ebooks to your Kindle or [...]
I have to confess to a guilty pleasure. I love reading biographies and autobiographies of rock stars. I think it’s because I lead such a normal, controlled life. I experience such vicarious pleasure reading about people who go totally berserk. Yes, they crash and burn in the end. But what a ride! Right now I’m [...]
Good heavens! I just realized it’s been ages since I’ve posted anything on my blog. No excuses. Blame it on the last days of summer. It got started late here in Oregon. We didn’t have good weather until August. When the weather is good, you want to be outside in the sunshine because you know [...]
