Author Archives

Following the rules of writing effective opening scenes is vital so that readers will be able to suspend disbelief.  Readers must be grounded in the protagonist’s point of view in the beginning of a story.  They must see the world through

The theme of music is in my two previous novels and will be a major theme in my forthcoming novel. In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia listens to music while she paints. Music inspires her:  “The music seemed to go right

I wrote my first story when I was ten years old.  It was called The Magic Pen. This story was about a pen, that when used, created stories and poetry without the use of any human input as if a sacred power came through the ink of the pen. I

I write fiction for many reasons. It’s fun; it gives me joy; it makes me sane; I feel a need to tell stories to the world. I also write so that I can learn life’s lessons. In Olive Branches Don’t Grow On Trees, Silvia learns

Portland is the destination of the journey and so it is the last stop along the way. Situated near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, Portland has several bridges and is also known as the “City of Bridges.”

Cosmo and Silvia visit their younger brother Vince in Berkeley, where he attends college. Named after the 18th Century bishop and philosopher, George Berkeley, this university town has long been a major center of social change and civic unrest.

Silvia and Cosmo visit one of Silvia’s friends in the lovely coastal town of Santa Cruz. Situated about 90 miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz is home to both a major university and a boardwalk filled with restaurants, shops and an

Silvia’s car breaks down, forcing the traveling siblings to find an auto body shop. Luckily, this happens as they are near the city of Bakersfield, a freeway-filled place with no shortage of automobile services. About a hundred miles north

After their visit to the Grand Canyon, Silvia and Cosmo head down to Flagstaff. Established in 1882 as a railroad stop, today this lovely little city has a population of just over 67,000 and is home to Northern Arizona University, Lowell

There aren’t many places in the world as sacred as the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Situated in the Northeastern part of the state and completely surrounded by a much larger Navajo reservation, Hopi was settled in circa 1100 making it the