A couple of weeks ago I received some galleys for my NEW NOVEL, and I just had to wave this picture in front of you. The book won't be out till April, but I'm pretty happy about seeing an actual copy, along with a whole bunch of wonderful endorsements. It has already...

A week ago, we returned from Florida—and no, this is not going to be a blow-by-blow account of our trip. I do, however, need to set the scene. A week at a resort near Orlando—paid for by points—served as a much-needed respite from TooBusyToEvenThinkStraight. What we...

It is the dead of night. The old farm lies fast asleep, and everyone inside the house is sleeping, too. Everyone is sleeping. All but one... On small, silent feet the Tomten moves about in the moonlight. He peeps into cowshed and stable, storehouse and toolshed. He...

In early December, I closely monitor the southward journey of the sun, noting the point of each sunrise on the horizon. Okay, it's gotten past the birch tree. Now the leaning tree. Ah! It's caught in the clumpy trees! Then, on December 21—there it is! As far south as...

LAST TIME YOU LEARNED how grinchy we've become in celebrating Christmas  (see Part 1 below), but here's what was GOOD about Christmas Past. •   My first Notable Christmas featured chicken pox. I remember sitting on my mother's lap, totally miserable. At least she...