Do you feel ‘quanked’ too? The joy of unusual words

As an author, I love words. In fact, my family might call me a bit of a ‘word nerd.’ From subscribing to Dictionary.com ‘Word of the Day’ emails to looking up new-to-me words used in books, news articles or conversation, I’ve rarely met a word I didn’t like. This week...

For the love of old books

As far back as I can remember, I’ve loved and collected old books, especially those for children. The gorgeous covers. The thick paper, sometimes with foxing (age-related browning). The scent of old binding. The faded inscriptions in elegant cursive writing. Yes,...

Celebrating my overflowing TBR pile ~ Can you relate?

My name is Jen, and I have too many books, physical and electronic, in my TBR (to be read) pile! That’s partly because as an author I read widely to learn, improve my writing craft, research topics I’m writing about and keep up-to-date with what’s popular in...

Living with hope, my word for 2023

When I chose ‘hope’ as ‘my word’ for 2023, I had no idea how relevant it would be. However, I also didn’t anticipate the challenges of living my life with hope throughout a succession of difficult months. On X (formerly Twitter) recently, another author asked...

Rediscovering the joy of reading

After being hit hard with Covid in June, some symptoms lingered throughout the summer. And with “brain fog” and almost continuous migraines, I wasn’t able to read much—or remember what I’d read (or heard when listening to audiobooks) from one moment to the next. While...