Over the last three months, I have been privileged to share the thoughts and wisdom of friends within the writing community in response to the prompt ‘I Wish I Knew Now What I Knew Then!’. In case you have missed any of these guest posts I will be sharing their links in this catch up series.
Author Claire Fullerton shares her treasured memories of the home that her mother grew up in and returned to with her own family when Claire was ten years old.
Author Jane Risdon shares her nomadic childhood and dreams of becoming a war correspondent and reflects on the message she might have offered to her younger self to reassure her that one day, she would be a writer..
Pete Springer shares his experiences in high school following a move to California in response to the prompt and finding his true self in college, leading to many happy years as a teacher.
Blogger and food and advocate for sustainability Carol Taylor shares her passion for the environment and ambitions to become a scientist, and how with her blog and writing she has created a platform for both.
A poignant post from teacher and children’s author Sue Wickstead who shares her thoughts about her dad who she lost at an early age and her pride in her family name.
Welcome to the Smorgasbord Christmas Party, with the focus on the fur members of the family who also love this time of year, over this weekend and next I will be sharing the photographs of some much loved pets, and of course a little promo for their human companions.
Obviously with all these honoured guests expected, I have been busy in the kitchen preparing some treats that hopefully my guests both two-legged and four-legged will enjoy.. Joining yesterday’s guestsare some delightful felines and canines and their humans
My first guest is mystery and historical author Noelle Granger who has shared a photograph that is very festive.
My beloved and missed Elijah Moon, who loved to sit in the middle of the pile of Christmas wreaths
Books by N.A. Granger
Noelle A. Granger grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a rambling, 125-year-old house with a view of the sea. Summers were spent sailing and swimming. She was also one of the first tour guides at Plimoth Plantation. Granger graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology and from Case Western Reserve University with a Ph.D. in anatomy. Following a career of research in developmental biology and teaching human anatomy to medical students and residents, the last 28 years of which were spent at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, she decided to try her hand at writing fiction. The Rhe Brewster Mystery Series was born.
In addition to the Rhe Brewster Mystery Series, Granger has had short stories, both fiction and non-fiction, published in Deep South Magazine, Sea Level Magazine, the Bella Online Literary Review, and Coastal Style Magazine, and has been featured in Chapel Hill Magazine, The News & Observer, The Boothbay Register, and other local press. Granger lives with her husband, a cat who blogs, and a hyperactive dog in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She spends a portion of every summer in Maine.
I do love a good Christmas dinner so if everyone would like to take a seat at the table…thanks to Gerald B. Saundersfor the table setting.
My next guest is prolific children’s author Victoria Zigler who has brought her delightful West Highland Terrier…Lilie
“Lilie is a very energetic West Highland White Terrier, who thinks almost being four is no excuse to stop having the enthusiasm of a puppy. She loves making friends of any species, and playing ball. She even loves her Cavapoo brother, Logan – when he’s not chewing her favourite ball, or stealing her stuff.
A small selection of books by Victoria Zigler
My name is Victoria Zigler, but most of my friends and family call me Tori. Feel free to do the same.
Born in the shadow of the black mountains in Wales, I now live by the sea in the south-east of England, with my husband, Kelly, a chinchilla named Mollie, a West Highland White Terrier named Lilie, a Cavapoo named Logan, and a Hermann’s Tortoise named Artemis.
Having battled with glaucoma since birth, I now find myself completely blind. But I haven’t let that stop me from chasing the dream I’ve had since I was a young child: the dream of becoming a published author. Though it’s been said many times by many authors, I’ve loved to read and write since I learned how, and always wanted to get my work published. Finally, in 2012, I made that dream come true by self-publishing the first of my books as an eBook via Smashwords. Several more titles have been published since, with paperbacks and audio books also being made available. So now I’m a published author of several poetry collections, as well as a long list of children’s stories.
My next guest is popular blogger and author Teagan Riordain Geneviene who shares a delightful Christmas photograph of her cat Crystal.
Crystal’s life began as a feral kitten on the south side of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was rescued at birth. Her rescuers held an event at a pet store. I went inside, pondering whether the time was right for another cat. I spoke my thoughts aloud to a pair of colorful lovebirds. They began chirping excitedly. I took their advice. Now Crystal is 14 years old, and traveled across the country with me — and then back to the southwest again.
A selection of books by Teagan
Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene lives in a “high desert” town in the Southwest of the USA.
Teagan had always devoured fantasy novels of every type. Then one day there was no new book readily at hand for reading — so she decided to write one. And she hasn’t stopped writing since.
Her work is colored by her experiences from living in the southern states and the southwest. Teagan most often writes in the fantasy genre, but she also writes cozy mysteries. Whether it’s a 1920s mystery, a steampunk adventure, or urban fantasy, her stories have a strong element of whimsy. There are no *extremes* in violence, sex, or profanity.
Her blog “Teagan’s Books” contains serial stories written according to “things” from viewers. Teagan’s Books
Major influences include Agatha Christie, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, and Charlaine Harris.
It is so gratifying to see a clean plate but hope room has been left for dessert….
My final guest today is author Cathy Cade and her lovely dogs Smidgeon and Ruff
This will be our first Christmas without Pickle, the Staffie. Pickle would have been sixteen if she’d made it through lockdown, but it wasn’t to be. As Smidgeonwas missing her companion, we’ve taken on Ruff(Wanna Play). This festive season will be the first when we don’t have to feel guilty about poppers or Christmas crackers since, unlike Pickle (back in the days when she could hear) neither Smidge nor Ruff are frightened of bangs.
Books by Cathy Cade
Cathy lives with her husband and dogs, mostly in the Cambridgeshire Fens and sometimes across the fence from London’s Epping Forest. Following a career in libraries where creative writing opportunities were limited to annual reports, she now produces a different kind of fiction.
Cathy’s short stories have been published in ‘Scribble’ magazine and Chris Fielden’s ‘To Hull and Back 2018, Short Stories’. Her stories and rhymes also appear in the anthologies ‘Where the Wild Winds Blow’ and ‘A Following Wind’, from the Whittlesey Wordsmiths’ creative writing group (both available from Amazon.)
Her verse owes more to Pam Ayres than G K Chesterton. Examples can be found at Commaful (see Cathy Cade) and on WordPress at cathy-cade.com.
While all my guests digest their dinner, time for a Christmas story….courtesy of Pets Add Life
Thanks to my guests today for traveling such great distances to be with us.. Please check out their humans’ books so that their houses will be filled with sausages, cheese and other treats this Christmas...Thanks Sally.
Please join us again for more guests next Saturday…
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