Writing is hard work. Sometimes you soar... during the creative process. Sometimes you nose dive... when you're stuck in a scene or chapter. And sometimes you smile... like this week when I'm proofreading 'Flight of the Stolen Children'. All the crazy hours you keep, the piles of research books, the pacing, running up and down the stairs, drinking coffee, finding an excuse to buy an apple fritter, then two, and finally your book baby comes home.

French Resistance fighter and ‘nose’ for the Parisian House of Doujan Angeline de Cadieux in ‘The Lost Girl in Paris’ is so hungry on a train taking her to a concentration camp she has a run-in with SS over an apple in this excerpt Kindle AU April Book Deal AU $2.99 BoldwoodBooks AU Thank you for listening... Jina

Seeing my Boldwood Books in print is music to my eyes! Not just little dots dancing on the screen, but real paperback books. As a writer, I spend a long time with my stories and when I see them in print, it’s like hugging an old friend PS -- credits in the Tik Tok video below: I'm the camera person, voice over artist, script supervisor, writer, and oh yes, playing the ivories all at the same time!

Me wearing WW2 dark Victory Red lipstick you gotta wear #lipstick when you're working on edits for my next occupied Paris book 'Flight of the Stolen Children' ‘Flight of the Stolen Children’ coming this Fall. Amazon Kindle It's Book 2 of Lia's Story which begins in 'The Stolen Children of War'. UK: So what's it about? The circus in Occupied Paris and stolen children escaping the Gestapo.

When America went to war in 1941, the women and girls proudly did their all. Here is a photo I added to the July 4th graphic of a young woman with her helmet on raising the flag. We women have never failed to answer the call... from the ladies of the Revolution to the women engaging in combat in recent conflicts.

Amazing high temps this week in eastern US and Europe -- stay cool! Take a tour with me to Venice's gelato shops! Including my favorite in the Piazza San Marco. ================== And at the end of my video, check out 'The Stolen Children of War' book 1 in Lia's story about a circus queen who saves Jewish children in Occupied Paris and meet Pola, the cutest doll with freckles and braids who has a big part if book 2 'Flight of the Stolen Children coming this Fall!

My dad was a rocket scientist kind of father… working on the space program, but he always had time to fix my dolls when they got ‘hurt’. Dolls were my friends when I was a kid since we moved so much. I always had a doll in hand as you can see here. Thanks, Dad! #HappyFathersDay No wonder a special doll named Pola plays a big part in Book 2 Lia’s Story… ‘Flight of the Stolen Children’ coming this Fall.

I'm excited to announce SISTERS AT WAR is a Kindle Australia Book Deal. A story about 2 sisters and how sexual violence during wartime (Occupied Paris WW2) changes their lives. SISTERS AT WAR is a novel inspired by my own story. The girl in the photo is me. AU $2.69 Book 1 (Book 2 Sisters of the Resistance)AU

I was a doughnut dolly. Back in the day, I served with the U.S. Army Special Services in Livorno, Italy. My job was to make coffee and play pool with the troops, set up entertainment and gourmet restaurant tours. And make cookies. I whipped up hundreds and hundreds of cookies. Chocolate chip. And doughnuts, too. I got help from the mess hall sergeant, a bespectacled guy from the Midwest who let me commandeer his big pots and huge ovens.

Reading is for everyone! Whether you like to cuddle up with a print book, read an e-Book on your phone, or listen to an audio book like I’m doing here. Imagine if Cinderella had audio books to help her with the housework… now if only the Prince came with it, too!! With Boldwood Books you get all three! #ReadBoldly #GoAllIn #GAAD #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay.

You call her Mother, Mom… Mum No matter how old you are You’ll always be her shining star You’ll always be her kid So tell her you love her... I did If only in my dreams. (Mom and me in video when I was 10) #HappyMothersDay2026 #HappyMothersDay

Scrambling madly to finish 'Flight of the Stolen Children' -- Book 2 Lia's story Book 1 The Stolen Children (info below) so I shall say... 'May the Fourth be with me' #MayThe4thBeWithYou#StarWarsDay#MayTheFourth#StarWars @boldwoodbooks Yes, that's an original Darth Vader action figure with Chewbacca along with 2 1st Edition Star Wars books. I have an original Star Wars poster somewhere -- I'll look for it when I send off my manuscript to my editor who's just been lovely giving me the time I need.

Me going to St Peter's -- a parochial school run by the Sisters of Charity -- with my 'reusable' book bag. And yes, I still have it! It's 'used' for my old school papers and notes and holidays cards. Happy Earth Day!! =============== We're still hanging in there with 'The Stolen Children of War' FREE in Amazon PRIME International: …

Titanic Victims' Memorial On April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and sank at 2:20 a.m. Today we honor the victims. Amen. ================ As I mentioned in an earlier post, no official passenger list for the Titanic exists, but the U.S. Senate Inquiry Report compiled what they considered to be the most comprehensive list of those who survived and those who didn’t…

TITANIC Week here on 'Once Upon a Story'. Part 4 Steerage Class Irish Family What Really Happened that Night... Today on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and sank at 2:20 a.m. Would you have survived? What were your chances? ------------- Steerage Class Family It is time to speak of the steerage passengers, who until now have waited patiently for a steward to bring them up on top to get into the…

TITANIC Week here on 'Once Upon a Story'. Part 3 What Really Happened that Night... Today on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and sank at 2:20 a.m. Would you have survived? What were your chances? ------------- Second Class Gentleman You’re anxious to get to New York and start your new job — and thrilled to be on the…

Not every lady in first class survived that night... TITANIC Week here on 'Once Upon a Story'. Part 2 What Really Happened that Night... Today on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and sank at 2:20 a.m. Would you have survived? What were your chances? ------------- First Class Lady If you’re a first cabin lady, you’re most likely asleep in your cabin where it’s cozy and warm with the electric heater going, the lights dim, when…

  TITANIC Week here on 'Once Upon a Story'. Part 1 What Really Happened that Night... Today on April 14, 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. and sank at 2:20 a.m. Would you have survived? What were your chances? Find out in my posts today (3 more following throughout the day) as we experience what it was like that night through the eyes of a…

  Iceberg right ahead. When we hear those immortal words in a film about the Titanic, we stop munching our popcorn and hold our breath. We know what's coming. The Titanic is about to hit the iceberg and from that moment on, nothing will ever be the same on that grand ship. Passengers play with the ice chunks fallen on deck; Third Class cabins on F deck start to flood, while mail clerks scramble to save the sacks of mail.

My fave TITANIC coffee cup '2,000 lives are saved off wrecked Titanic by wireless; vessel is reported sinking.' Hold on, are we in an alternative universe? Two thousand lives saved off the Titanic when every historian will tell you only 705 passengers survived the sinking on April 15, 1912? No, this isn’t some Edwardian version of the Twilight Zone. The headline above was printed on April 15, 1912 by…

  I adore the movie Titanic. Every time I come across the film when I'm flipping channels, I can't resist stopping for a few minutes and watching Rose and Jack. No matter where we are in the story, it always grabs me. But there's another Titanic film I bet you don't know about. A film starring... A survivor of that…

Imagine it’s a starry, starry night with a calm sea, the water below freezing. A bitter chill is in the air as you climb into a lifeboat. In your nightdress. Brrr… You’d also be wearing a corset …

  Imagine it’s a starry, starry night with a calm sea, the water below freezing. A bitter chill is in the air as you climb into a lifeboat. In your nightdress. Brrr… You’d also be wearing a corset along with drawers, chemise and a corset cover. Many ladies on the Titanic found themselves in a quandary when the stewards summoned them to the lifeboats after the ship struck an iceberg at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912.

Aye, so St Patrick's Day is a day for soda bread and sharing the love with your friends and for this lass who spent the day dodging leprechauns and chasing good luck fairies and begging them to have tea with me and and my latest characters and sprinkle a bit of good luck our way... Here's a Princess story for the wearing of the green…

My mom was amazing, besides raising me and having a career, she loved to design clothes. Here's a video I put together for Mother's Day previously, but it showcases my favorite Red Dress she made for me when I was ten. We're still hanging in there in the UK with 'The Stolen Children of War' with a Best Seller orange banner in…

The Tooth Fairy took on a new role during the Civil War. She fought long and hard to help the soldiers keep their teeth, not take them. If a soldier had a toothbrush, it was homemade. Brushes didn't show up as commercially made until 1885. Most used a 'chewing stick' made from a twig from a tree or bush. Chomping on hardtack didn't help.

My poem for #ilovetoread month When I was a little girl a writer I wanted to be I read so many books I turned into a tree A willow so tall with leaves so fine And branches like fingers holding books of mine A tree of knowledge I became you see Because to write you have to agree A love of story you need is oh so true…

Mardi Gras in Venice... Come along with me and meet a girl who didn't have any confidence in herself (I know -- I've been there) to look for the man of her dreams. Until she wanders into a mysterious old mask shop in Venice and  . . . well, you'll see!

We're still hanging in there in the UK with 'The Stolen Children of War' with a Best Seller orange banner in Religious Romance. (I'm posting this in the early hours of Tuesday, so here's hoping it stays there for a while...) UK: So what's it about? The circus in Occupied Paris and stolen children escaping the Gestapo.

Wouldn't it be cool if raindrops came in different colors?