

Imagination + True Life
Talk to any author of fiction (or read about them) and you’ll invariably discover they’ve incorporated aspects of their own lives into their stories—events, experiences, family dynamics, life passages, etc. Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of the more famous examples—her “Little House” series was so similar to her own life you could call her books “true-life novels.” I’d always thought the series was straight autobiography until I read "Pioneer Girl: An Annotated Autobiography" b


Welcome to a little corner of Ireland!
This Bonus Features page will focus on Irish stories...one of my favorites is about Grainne, the 16th century Irish Pirate Queen--here she is (in bronze) at Westport House in County Mayo, Ireland. Grainne the Pirate Queen inspired (in a small way) the main character in my book Mother Love--also named Grainne--and even gets a mention in the novel. I'll share the stories behind my books and more. You can find my homesteading tales, recipes and Berryridge Farm gardening tips at