This is a tale of the old “interactive voice response” phone service and the “navigation tree” hell. I know many can relate. I’m trying to rent a car for a week in September. I’m pretty comfortable with reserving online and have done so many, many times. I have two simple questions about the fees and…
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Sleepless summer nights
I grew up in a Colonial-style home in Central New Jersey. Built in the 1930s, it didn’t have a central HVAC system. It had a furnace and a fireplace to ease the frigid winter air. In the summer, we had windows and fans. And it was hot. Kids in the neighborhood would camp out at…
A feline’s revenge
When I left my full-time job at the end of January, I received this lovely peace lily from my coworkers. It was lush and weighed a ton, and I worried that I’d be able to care for it properly…since I’m not known for my ability to grow plants. (My family’s nickname for me is “Death…
Careful what you wish for
When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a princess. Or Cinderella after the glass slipper incident. So it’s not surprising to me that one of my “coronaddictions” has been catching up on the British Royal Family. Stories of Harry and Meghan fill my news feed (I’m a fan), and most recently the…
It’s deja vu all over again
It’s been a bit more than a decade since I finished and sold my first full-length novel (romantic suspense Surrender to Sanctuary). It was a shock to me at the time that anyone would want to publish it (it’s a bit on the kinky side)! But I was lucky, and thus started my career…
Dear gods of technology, back off!
I took today off from my regular job so I could get some things done — Run to the post office (which isn’t open during hours that any working person can conveniently get to); Have lunch with hubby (who also took the day off); Clean my office (“clean” being open to interpretation); and Make…
Adventures in Cooking – Real Pizza??? Not!
Ever since I left New Jersey about 9 years ago, I’ve been bemoaning the lack of really good NY-style pizza. Hubby and I have been experimenting with home-made for a couple years. Sadly, the dough has been challenging to the point where it’s not worth it. Then I saw this posted on Facebook: home-made pan…
Slogging along the writing trail
I am so seriously behind in my writing projects, I almost wonder if I should just stop. When I saw this quote by Scottish author Alexander Trocchi, I thought, “Yesssss, this is how I feel.”
Memorial Day Honor
As the nation recognizes the servicemen and women who gave their lives for us, I remember my husband’s father who kept trying to enlist in WWII but got denied because he was too young. He finally got in right at the end and told stories of the ride on the “liberty ship” from the west…
And spring comes at last
I don’t spend much time outside — too many writerly things to do on the weekend — but I was walking outside the other day (at the day job) and realized I was no longer wearing the heavy winter parka, gloves on my hands and scarf wrapped around half my head. In fact, I’d pared…