Paper or plastic? Decaf or regular? Debit or credit? Every day, every one of us makes hundreds of decisions. As a matter of fact, a study by Cornell University found that we make more than 200 daily decisions just about food! (Personally, I suspect I’m above the curve on that score. For me, chocolate choices alone “tip the scales” in that direction.) I have no statistical information on this, but instinct tells me that the average woman has to make more decisions in a day than the average man. And one thing I am absolutely certain: today’s women face more decisions, and weightier ones, than our grandmothers ever did. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not pining for the old “Father Knows Best” days when men made all the choices for their wives and the only career paths open to women were nursing, teaching, or marriage. But, no matter your age or level of life experience, the smorgasbord of choices we face today – marital, relational, educational, vocational, reproductive, domestic, professional, and financial – can be daunting, even paralyzing. Liza Burgess, one of the main characters in A Thread So Thin, the third of my Cobbled Court novels, understands exactly what…

Unfortunately, my children know this and have no compunction about exploiting my weakness. Over the last 26 years, that exploitation has been demonstrated in countless ways. Allow me to list a few. By my count to date I have … * Read “Goodnight Moon” 1,630 times.* Cut the crusts off 4,274 peanut butter sandwiches.* Delivered forgotten items to school (including books, homework, gym clothes, and lunch boxes of crustless peanut butter sandwiches) 712 times. * Spent half a year’s wages on overpriced tennis shoes that were outgrown in four months or less.* Spent another half year of wages buying fundraising items I didn’t want or need, including but not limited to magazines, wrapping paper, calendars, Christmas wreaths, Easter lilies, popcorn, candy, pizzas, and pies.* Washed 368 industrial sized dumpsters full of dirty laundry.* Edited 39 term papers, generally between midnight and two a.m. on the day they were due.* Driven the equivalent of 48 busloads of teenagers to the movies. If you’re a mother, you know this list is far from comprehensive, but you get the idea. And if you’re a mother, chances are you’re just like me. You’d do anything for your kids. Curious to read the rest? click…

It’s time for a confession. For years now, I’ve harbored a secret addiction. I’m not talking about my addiction to books. For writers, a book fetish simply goes with the territory. Right now, my nightstand is piled so high with books that if the stack toppled and fell on my foot, I’d end up with several broken toes. You understand what I’m talking about. Probably your nightstand is in the same condition. If not, you wouldn’t spend your time reading Fresh Fiction blogs, would you? No, the addiction I’m talking about is much more personal and insidious. Until recently, I’ve been in denial but the time has come to face the truth. I’m addicted – to fabric. I’m a quilter, Dear Reader, and I’ve got it bad. My home in New England is loaded with quilt shops and I can’t bypass any of them. There is a particular store in the wilds of New Hampshire that I been known to drive three hours out of my way to visit. Not three hours round trip – I’m talking three hours each way! Imagine how that went over with my kids, who thought they were just taking a little drive to see…

My trip to California (and back to Texas) is over. On one hand I say thank goodness, on the other, I miss the cool air of Northern California. According to husband it was in the 100s while I was gone. It’s “cooled” down to just 100 since I’ve been home. Just call me “bringer of cool temps” LOL Gwen and I saw lots of the country on our twelve day adventure, and it’s a BIG country if you were in any doubt. Still many many miles of beautiful vistas, no houses or lights and awe-inspiring landscapes! It nourished my soul to be able to see it closer than 40,000 feet through a small dirty porthole. Our main objective on this trip was the annual Romance Writers of America convention in San Francisco. We arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon and spent the rest of day relaxing and getting ready to go-go-go. We closed down on Saturday night after FOUR JAM PACKED DAYS!!! I’m not sure how to cover it all, so I’ll just try to hit some of the highlights. Fresh Fiction staff – Sara, Gwen, Suan, Mindy, Faye, TanzeyOriginally uploaded by freshfiction Wednesday, July 30th. The Fresh Fiction…