Skip to main content

Laidback Writer

KangaOn the  100 Acre Personality Quiz I discovered I'm a Kanga. It's not far from the truth, except that kids don't know not to misbehave around me. Just the opposite, really. I say, "Everyone gather around me here at the table," and three-fourths of the children ignore me. Where do you get one of those "I mean it" voices that successful teachers and coaches use? 

It was the same with horses. I spent my childhood dreaming of owning a horse someday. Rather than an imaginary friend, I had an imaginary horse, Jerina. White, graceful, with the delicate face of an Arabian, the two of us galloped effortlessly across the farm. My parents finally got me a real horse when I was fourteen, and I discovered I have little talent for riding. I took good care of Lady and she was fond of me, but many of our rides turned out to be long arguments about where and how fast we should be going. She felt her opinion was at least as valid as mine. When my cousin or anyone who knew horses rode her, she was a different animal: obedient, smooth, predictable. Just not with me.

Maybe that's why I enjoy writing so much. The characters in my stories sometimes surprise me, heading off in directions I didn't anticipate, but I have the ultimate power to let them roam or call them back. In the end, everyone behaves, or misbehaves, just as they are supposed to. I've always been a live and let live sort of person. I don't like being bossed around, and I don't try to boss others. I live a lot of my life inside my head, and maybe that's why. In there, I'm (more or less) in control. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

February Subscriber Giveaway

 This month, I've giving away a copy of AN ALASKAN FAMILY FOUND and a deck of Alaska-themed playing cards in a matching tin to one newsletter subscriber. (US only. If winner has no US mailing address, the prize will be two ebooks.)  You must be a newsletter subscriber to win. If you're not already subscribed, you can sign up HERE . Must be 18 or older. Void where prohibited.  a Rafflecopter giveaway AN ALASKAN FAMILY FOUND A temporary summer arrangement… Or their new forever? Alaskan peony farmer Caleb DeBoer can barely keep up with the weeds—let alone his willful teen daughter and being short-staffed at the start of wedding season. Luckily, sunny counselor Gen Rockford could really use a summer job and a place for her girls to live. Now what began as the perfect solution for Gen and Caleb is transforming into one unforgettable summer. But will one little secret ruin it all?

Snow Sculptures at Fur Rondy

Photo by Bill Roth /   Anchorage Daily News Fur Rondy (short for rendezvous) is the annual winter festival in Anchorage, where residents fight cabin fever with activities like the snowshow softball, the running of the reindeer, and outhouse races. There are other activities too, like hockey, sled dog races, and a poker tournament. My favorite event in Fur Rondy as always been the snow sculptures . The frozen equivalent of sand castles, snow sculptures are, by their very nature, temporary. Beautiful, whimsical, or just funny, they’re created solely for the enjoyment of the artists and passersby. To bring a smile. Like the bloom of a daylily or a rainbow, their short life is part of their charm. It's easy to put off going to the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. They'll always be there, after all. But come spring, that snow sculpture will be gone forever, so we'd better enjoy while we can. They encourage us to live for today. What temporary pleasures have

December Giveaway

For the holidays, I'm giving away two books, A GIFT FOR SANTA and KIDNAPPED IN ALASKA, plus a pair of goofy reindeer socks. (Prize for US only. If winner has no US mailing address, the prize will be two ebooks.) You must be a newsletter subscriber to win. If you're not already subscribed, you can sign up  HERE . Must be 18 or older. Void where prohibited.  a Rafflecopter giveaway