A stray cat wandered into my yard one evening at dusk. She cautiously approached me, where I sat on the back deck with my dog and my elderly cat. When I saw that she was badly injured, I made her comfortable and determined I would take care of her in her final days. The end … Continue reading A Cat in the Window: Rediscovering Home Through History
Literary Fiction
Sparking Liberty; Igniting Truth: The Enduring Friendship of Edmund Burke and John Hayes St. Leger
My first novel, A Moon Garden, invites readers into a luminous world of war, mystery, love, and quiet revelation—where the past whispers through moonlit gardens and personal histories unfold like hidden paths. Drawing on themes of heritage, heroism, and the enduring pull of loyalty, it sets the stage for deeper explorations of history and human … Continue reading Sparking Liberty; Igniting Truth: The Enduring Friendship of Edmund Burke and John Hayes St. Leger
Experiencing York: A Writer’s Journey
As an 18-year-old art student in New York, I began the process of learning to “see.” More than 30 years later, when I landed a contract as a designer with an architectural firm, I learned what it means to “look.” Up until I was hired to be part of the team developing a multi-million-dollar entertainment … Continue reading Experiencing York: A Writer’s Journey
The Legacy Continues
When I am working on a novel, I have no time for recreational reading. Since I write historical fiction, I burn up many hours poring through source materials: newspaper archives, biographies, letters, memoirs, military records, insurance policies, genealogy charts, maps, history books, etc. My mornings and afternoons are consumed doing research and crafting prose, and … Continue reading The Legacy Continues
Life and Legacy
What is a legacy? If you look to the dictionary for an answer, the first definition that pops up is money or property left to someone in a will. The second definition is somewhat abstract, but it is the more interesting one. A legacy is something we inherit from a predecessor. In this second scenario, … Continue reading Life and Legacy
The Tacky Tie
The medical receptionist at the other end of the phone did not want to schedule an appointment for me. She insisted that I needed to see a specialist. “But it was the specialist who referred me to Dr. X,” I pointed out. “Yes, sweetie, I know that. But you need to see the specialist.” This … Continue reading The Tacky Tie
A Time and a Place
“Maybe she doesn’t speak English,” said a short, chubby, middle-aged woman. “Or maybe she’s deaf,” her friend observed. “Hello? Hello? Can you understand me?” shouted the first woman. I was just coming to the statue of Charles James Fox at the north end of Bloomsbury Square, when I stopped and turned my head to the … Continue reading A Time and a Place
A Pathway to Perdition
There is a writers conference coming soon to a city near me. Wouldn’t you know it? The first literary agent listed among the panelists is the New Yorker I wrote about in November (see Flying Blind), who proudly announced on X-Twitter that she categorizes people by race and prioritizes manuscripts submitted by People of Color … Continue reading A Pathway to Perdition
The Approach of Winter
In late autumn, my garden requires a lot of care. Grape vines, roses, and pomegranates need drastic pruning, and the dense mat of fallen fig leaves cannot be ignored. Yet amidst all of these signs of degradation, there is a sparse crop of guavas and a bounty of lemons. The kumquats are still ripening on … Continue reading The Approach of Winter
Flying Blind
The first sound I heard when I awoke yesterday was the honking of the Snow Geese passing over my roof. I went outside and observed wave after wave of them, flying in formation above my house. There must have been hundreds. That’s the great thing about living directly under the Pacific Flyway. A couple of … Continue reading Flying Blind
Roxane Gilbert 