In 1990 my husband and I brought Jayda Paige Novak into our lives. She was a day old when we brought her home from the hospital: a full head of thick, dark hair (she still does), seven pounds, and perfectly healthy. Her father openly wept when she was born. Fast forward thirty-five years, and I am so grateful. I can’t imagine loving anyone more than this creature. She is so wise, and so kind, and such a force in my life. Did we always bond? The short answer is yes and no. Her

Lavender Blue was released December 2025. Love, Interrupted is the complete book, released in August 2026. Curl Up!

Each December, I’m both melancholy and strangely optimistic. And every year, I make ambitious New Year’s resolutions. But by mid-January, and then February, guilt creeps in as I fall short again. This morning, I sat with my coffee in hand and quietly reflected. And then I chuckled quietly in the dark as I reminded myself that, although I try, I am human, and there is truly only so much time in a day. I decided I needed to do something radically realistic. Something scandalous