Reading & Writing
-
Excerpt from the book Seven Hills: This story is fiction, though it feels true. One of my favorite childhood pictures shows me dropping a dime into an offering plate at Church. Mom, Dad, and my older sister watch solemnly as an unknown man awaits my gift. I always wondered if I plunked the coin or…
-
I came across a short piece written by my good friend Kate Cutts. I hope you will read it. It made me think back to a line from the musical Wicked and the song, For Good. There are moments in my life when someone noticed something good in me. It might be an act of…
-
I grew up in a world of rote learning. For instance, I once knew all the abbreviations for the states before someone got wise and decided you only need two letters for each state. Kansas was rendered as Kans. which if you are scoring at home, saves you two letters but costs you a period.…
-
Karen and I were driving through Wisconsin farmland a couple of years ago, and I was overcome by pastoral splendor although it may have been too many cheese curds. I began singing America the Beautiful, like Ray Charles, because after all, my middle name is Ray. I’ve always loved that song. It’s not ambivalent, it resolves,…
-
Last night, Karen and I snuggled up on the sofa with a soft throw and a cat named Boo while watching a Hallmark movie, “I do, I do, I do,” a plagiarized revisiting of the movie, “Ground Hog Day.” Here’s the plot. An architect heads to the altar with her fiancé, unsure of her marriage…
-
I’m a home builder by trade, but when I grow up, I want to be a writer. Since writers publish books, that’s the next step. Bankruptcy is the one thing common to both writers and builders. While the financial poverty of writing is constant, the financial woes of builders are violent, like a train derailing…
-
Greg Taylor has written a compelling read about a remarkable person, Dr. Amanda Madrid. “Lay Down Your Guns” is a book about conviction, courage, and the power of tenacious love. It’s coming out in October 2013. GRT Released in October 2013Read ExcerptOrder from AmazonBook DescriptionIn Honduras’ “wild west” mountain jungles, Amanda Madrid found her calling as a medical…
Bespoke 