Current Events
Friday Fact: The Day the World Came to Town
After 9/11, a pharmacist in Gander, Newfoundland, worked forty-two hours straight to fill stranded passengers' prescriptions — all at no cost.
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Stories about everything from motherhood, faith, and grief, to classical-Christian education, current events, and the writing life.
Writing & Books
The Six Core Competencies of Storytelling
Larry Brooks's six core competencies of storytelling offer writers a framework for crafting well-rounded, sellable fiction — no matter how you approach the page.
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Writing & Books
A New Vision
A new decade, a new vision for this site, and a reflection on why writers reach into their own heartbreak to help heal readers.
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Current Events
(Re)writing History
My grandmother fled war-torn Greece as a girl, only to have her dreams of college dashed by an arranged marriage. One day, I hope to tell her story.
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Grief & Loss
An Uncle With Flare
My Uncle Dave was a rascal who sneaked cars at twelve and was married six times — but in his later years, his edges softened into something humble, faithful, and kind.
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Wellness
On World Mental Health Day: A Nod to PMADs; Suicide Prevention
On World Mental Health Day, I reflect on losing my brother to suicide and my own battle with postpartum depression — and share an excerpt from my book on the perinatal mood disorders too many families face in silence.
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Current Events Writing & Books
From the Ground Up: Remembering 9/11
On the morning of September 11, I was a Washingtonian living ten minutes from the Pentagon. The crystalline blue sky that day became illustrative of humanity's starkest contrasts.
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To Begin Again
The first day of school reveals a brand-new stage where unseen possibilities begin to dance. Parenthood is about dual-states — a constant embracing and letting go.
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Motherhood
One Cool Dad
A year after my dad's passing, I discovered old Army photos of a well-dressed dandy I barely recognized — and came to see the cool guy he was before parenthood shaped him into the alpha-male who built tank engines and made chicken soup.
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Writing & Books
Book Review: Love and Ruin
Paula McLain's novel reveals Martha Gellhorn — war correspondent, D-Day witness, and Hemingway's third wife — as far more than a footnote to someone else's life.
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Writing & Books
Dreyer's English: Every Writer's New Best Friend
Style manuals are important but rarely fun — until Benjamin Dreyer's witty, essential guide came along. If you write or edit, this book will sharpen your prose and make you smile.
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Writing & Books
Book Review: The Alice Network
Kate Quinn's raw, vivid novel about a WWI spy and a young American searching for her lost cousin sent me on a journey through wartime courage, female resilience, and the redemptive truth that we don't need to stay broken.
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