I started this weekly post to offer a glimpse into my author/writer's world--- the words I write, and why and how I write them. I envisioned sharing pithy phrases and touching tales about the story behind the stories of my work, both as an author and a multimedia storyteller.

Then I received a reminder of one of the most integral parts of my word work, which has NOTHING to do with grammar or sentence structure.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending two hours with a group of women---sharing engaging conversation and delicious food. Our gathering was actually part of a "meet and eat" tradition we have honored three times over the last ten years---all of them connected to books I have written, and they have read.

This group was one of the first in line to invite me to speak about Crown Hill, after its launch in 2014. I can still remember the thrill of sitting in a circle of book lovers who wanted to listen to me talk about MY BOOK!

In 2019, I was again invited to speak to this group about my newest work of historical fiction, Beauty & Grace. The hostess of the event went so far as to craft mini leprechauns for all in attendance in honor of the Irish backdrop of my book.

Yesterday, this group and I came together in friendship and food once again, this time to discuss The Secret Sand Circle. This time I approached the women with slight apprehension---wondering how comfortable they had been reading a book about a psychologist specializing in cases of abuse and trauma.

As my mother often said, "Oh ye of little faith."

These women were engaging, observant and sensitively intelligent in our book talk as it wound around and across our dining table. And at the end of our lunchtime discussion, they thanked me for writing this book. Then asked what I was going to write next.

Why do I write?
Because telling stories is an integral part of who I am. And because for more than a decade these women, and readers like them, have cared about me and my books.

Thank you ladies from the depths of my heart and soul.