25 years ago today I was standing at my mother's hospital bedside in Bottineau, North Dakota. Dad and sister Judy were there too when she died. Such a sad day.
​I like to think I have matured a lot in those 25 years. At least, my physical body sure has matured/aged! My arthritic knees painfully remind me of that with every step I take.
​I didn't want to get too personal on this blog and bore the much appreciated handful of readers I have, but this weekend I went through a bit of a personal crisis, and I thought that my segue nicely into explaining why Raid on Cochecho is proving to be such a challenge to write.
​25 years ago, I still DREAMED of being a published author. Now I'm a multi-award-winning author!  Life really is good!
​So I thought I'd take a cue from my dear writer pal Kelly Z. Conrad       (author of Shaman ) and just chat about what's on my mind for today, which is grief and loss, since Raid on Cochecho will be filled with it! *spoiler alert*
​I often think about what people in the past (particularly my own ancestors) went through, and I consider myself such a wus in comparison. I go through withdrawls when the Internet is down and I can't get my emails! PANIC! Then I remember what they​, the ancestors, had to go through! I can't IMAGINE the constant threat of disease, starvation, abduction, etc!  You'd think they had to be pretty hearty folk, right?  I just don't feel like I inherited any of the gumption needed to survive that sort of existence.
​I've had a pretty easy life, and really can't think of any unusually difficult obstacles.  And so I hope I'm successful in conveying the loss and sorrow that permeates my books, especially this third one.
​But I don't want to bring my reader down with this blog post. Spring is here, time for new beginnings! The dark clouds only make us appreciate the sunshine more!

Eight days later, I went on a blind date and met this cute little Air Force sergeant.
We were married less than eight months later.
​It's been a great thirty years!