The Three Rs: Reading, wRiting, and Roaming

I have recently returned from a nearly two-week trip to the African countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda. This trip was part of the outreach efforts for The World Orphan Fund charity that my husband founded. I mainly play a supporting role to this effort, but I often get asked how “we” started this charity.

Here’s the team we traveled with on this trip. (L to R Dena Donovan, me, RJ Johnson, Tom & Elizabeth Evenson, Steve Donovan, and Ellen Nowak)

Ten years ago, my husband (RJ) was a chaperone on a mission trip our daughter was on. One of the male volunteers had dropped out and they needed someone in a hurry. He went. One of the staffers he met on this trip told him about a special place in Honduras called Orphanage Emmanuel that members of... Continue Reading

The making of an audiobook was something of a mystery to me before I jumped into this market in 2019. The audiobook listening audience is growing—myself included. The first audiobook I listened to was Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. 

She narrated it herself, which makes sense as it is her autobiography. The experience was a delight and I was hooked. I love having a book keep me company as I go about other tasks—cleaning, exercising, driving, and (yes) berry picking. (Seriously, the massive 2019 blueberry crop allowed me to devour two books while harvesting! Yes, my life is soooo glamorous!)

So . . . with a number of readers consistently asking... Continue Reading

In the past few weeks, I’ve viewed a plethora of 2019 year-in-review and/or hit-the-ground-running newsletters/blog posts for 2020. To be honest, while I champion the work of fellow writers and appreciate all the positive messages, I skimmed over many of them.

Why?

December had me feeling a bit tired and unfocused. Truly, I didn’t feel like I accomplished much in 2019. And that made me feel BAD!

Typically, I am a positive person, but I realize I am a bit hard on myself when it comes to my to-do list and what I THINK I should have accomplished this past year. In an effort to buoy my spirits and prove to myself that I actually DID STUFF in 2019. I started going through my calendar. I highly recommend this to everyone. Not only will you see that you accomplished more... Continue Reading

I love reading and often share my favorite books with you, sometimes along with an interview with the author. This is my best of the best list! Some of these were released in 2019 but many of them are slightly older books that I finally had the chance to enjoy. If you’re looking for a treat for yourself or a good bookish gift, this list has something for everyone.

BEST PICTURE BOOK

The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena and illustrated by Christian Robinson

CJ rides the bus with his grandma on a lovely bus trip down Market Street from Sunday church to the soup kitchen where they volunteer. The details of the neighborhood, the people on the bus and the street, and the questions CJ asks along the... Continue Reading