Read Sister, Sister by Eric Jerome Dickey — If you are an aspiring painter, one of your assignments is to copy a master. If you’re a writer, typing out the author’s exact words will give you guidance about cadence and pacing, but the reasons for their technique are inside their mind. Even they might not know why they…

Even when the owner is gone — This July, I said farewell to the home my aunt and her family had lived in for over 70 years. My aunt died in the 1990s, but her daughter-in-law remained until she passed in 2021 of natural causes. The goodbye happened in stages A relative sent me a photo text of a table she thought…

Theater, Diners, and Alberta Orlando Brown — I never thought I’d find love, but I needed to learn about friendship first. I was certain I’d be left behind like the stuffed animals in a child’s bedroom, put in a box, and set out on the curb. My worst fear was genuine. Once I was on my own…

Erika Foster is one tough detective — Meet Detective Erika Foster Foster is one determined woman. As an immigrant from Slovakia who came to Britain as a nanny, she knows from personal experience that most Britains think immigrants are disposable. That’s why she is so determined to catch killers. Though Erika’s unerring gut instincts capture killers, her methods rankle her superiors…

She’s a Persian Orange Tractor! — At a family graduation party in Wisconsin a few years ago, I got intrigued by my brother-in-law’s conversation about going to see Alice Chalmers. He was so excited, I thought he was talking about a country singer. “Who is Alice Chalmers?” “It’s not a who. It’s a what.” His wife…