The Quiet Power of Blogging Launch Day Over a Cuppa Blogging touches life on a much deeper level that anyone expected. The thrill of sharing creativity and meaninful responses with like-minded people around the world still captures the hearts of bloggers. Find out why.

Story Chat Digest: “The Essay” by Elizabeth Gauffreau A sweltering classroom. A stupid essay assignment. A friend named Jesse who once won all the marbles—and later changed everything. As one teenager struggles to write about a person who made a difference, the assignment becomes something far…

How Canva.com Turned Me into a Graphic Artist Canva will make you a graphic artist, too! First, let me tell you a few of secrets to become a graphic artist. Canva.com is free, so they did not pay me a dime to write this post. I am not a graphic artist. (Maybe you can tell that already.) Just so…

Photography Advice for Beginning Photo Bloggers Before a special trip, consider taking a photography class or scheduling a private session with a photographer. A little instruction before you leave can help you come home with better pictures. Years ago, I took a one-on-one lesson from my blogging…

Over a Cuppa: Car Shows, Coloring Books and Gold Country A weekend in California’s Gold Country brought winding mountain roads, historic Murphys, vintage cars at the Ironstone Concours d’Elegance, and an unexpected conversation with a photographer who turns his wildlife photos into coloring books.…

8 Benefits To Becoming A Travel Photographer Even Though You Are an Amateur by D. Scott Carruthers Do You Love Taking Pictures? Becoming a travel photographer is one of the most exciting career paths any budding photographer can take. As commercial flights get cheaper and traveling is more…

Museum Murders by Dan Antion: An Over a Cuppa Book Review Dan Antion’s Museum Murders sends reporter Rascal Todd into a mystery involving a historic Pittsburgh museum, long-hidden secrets, missing money, and murder. Pour yourself a cuppa and join me for my review of this page-turning mystery.

SCD: September Poetry Day Cindy Georgakas and Gigi Cartwright join us for Poetry Day with two powerful poems about vulnerability, grace, and the fragile threads that hold us together. Read Tapestry of Faith and Living Ghosts, then join the conversation about the images, rhythms, and human…

Old Swedes Church: Exploring Delaware’s Colonial History Step inside Old Swedes Church in Delaware, built in 1698, and explore its stone walls, stained glass, old graffiti, historic cemetery, and stories of colonial life.

This Is How We Create: Launch Day/Book Review Over a Cuppa What happens when 23 authors explore where creativity comes from and how ideas become something more? Over a Cuppa, I’m celebrating the launch of This Is How We Create, sharing my review, and telling how forty-two cookies helped me…

Point of View: How to Keep Readers Inside Your Story Point of view is more than choosing first or third person. Author Diana Peach explains POV, voice, head-hopping, and the mistakes that can pull readers out of a story—with clear examples to help writers keep readers immersed.

How to Blog Your Way to a Nonfiction Book Contract What Would You Do with an Email about a Possible Nonfiction Book Contract? Who knows why I didn't delete Ginny's email on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. She asked me if I wanted a nonfiction book contract to write a book about Woodlake, CA. It sounded…

How to Start Blogging Like an Expert Start Blogging With a Page or a Post? Updated September 2026 Congratulations, you've decided to start blogging. You have read blogs for years. Incognito, right? Now it's your turn to blog. You have your account. Now what? Unlike any other form of communication,…

How Does an Irish Author with Five Children Publish a Book? Irish Author Fiona Hogan Celebrates Her First Book We will learn today what Irish author Fiona went through to write and publish her book, The Lights Went Out and Other Stories. Marsha Ingrao: Today I'd like to introduce Fiona Hogan, an…

The Answer Is… We didn't have to wait until Friday.  Tonia Hurst, a California gal, picked up on this little tendril right away.  Congratulations Tonia!!!  Gold Star Tonia Hurst!! a dried up grape tendril Now, since you have been such good guessers, I have a couple of blogging questions to ask…

Bloggers Can’t Avoid Selling Something Editorial Note 2026: This post has been lightly updated but deliberately retains references to Twitter, Google+, and an early blogging project for Woodlake Botanical Gardens. I'm preserving it as a snapshot of how bloggers used blogs and social media to…

Celebrating Reviews and Insurance Over a Cuppa A glowing five-star review gives me something wonderful to celebrate Over a Cuppa, while navigating California’s maze of health insurance and identification gives me plenty to gripe about. Somewhere between gratitude and frustration, a little…

Sometimes You Just Need a Simple Podcast Updated September 2026: Technology has changed considerably since I wrote this post in 2020, so I wouldn't recommend following these instructions today. But the experience taught me something that hasn't changed: sometimes the best way to learn new…

Over a Cuppa: Working from Home A quiet few weeks? Maybe—but creativity is blooming. Join me Over a Cuppa for book-launch excitement, a little poetry, Queen Moji’s bath-day escape attempt, and late-summer sunflowers.

Story Chat Digest: “If You Happen to See the Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by Hugh W. Roberts He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The most beautiful woman in the world moved through the crowds as if she didn’t belong to them—and perhaps she didn’t. What begins as admiration slowly shifts into…