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One day, I asked Kelly Lardner, “How do you begin to write a novel?” Kelly got a faraway look in her pretty eyes and said, “First, I thoroughly research a particular place and time. Then, complex characters begin to appear in my imagination. They visit me all through the day. While I’m washing dishes, I […]

Pauline Nevins’ class picture shows a pretty, dark little face, surrounded by a sea of smiling, white children. During World War II, thousands of biracial children were fathered by American service men in Britain—most of whom may have never known of the child. Pauline’s mother never discussed Pauline’s father, not even to say his name.

Meet Romeo–the little yellow-headed parrot on August Abbot’s shoulder. Although August adopted Romeo only a short time ago, he flies straight to her shoulder, nuzzles her ear, and say, I Love You! “He knows this is a safe place,” August says. Nova, the gorgeous blue Hyacinth Macaw seen in the next image, lost his owner

While visiting Kathey Zogg’s warm home, I saw another example of what she calls Memory Art. For the romantic month of February, she has a collection of hearts—golden hearts, ceramic hearts, fabric hearts, big hearts, tiny hearts. Atop the display is a sweet, handwritten love note. One day, she explained, she was temporarily confined to her

Every morning, Sandy Johnson’s husband, Ron, makes his way into the kitchen, presses a button on the floor with his toe, and 1,248 white lights begin a bright new day. “After Christmas,” creative Sandy says, “I decided it could be my Tree-for-all-Seasons.”  This month Sandy’s tree glows with valentines. Next month, shamrocks. And for April—you

Many women I interview for Bright Ideas enjoy time alone. A case in point is my new friend, Constance Alexander. “I live alone–and I like it,” she said. “Maybe I’m an introvert.” Then Constance described how she posts lovely sunset images on Instagram almost every day–just to share the beauty with others. She meditates weekly

Remember how Libby “rode with the thunder?” In that post, she introduced us to the motorcycle ministry—motorcyclists who express their spirituality and generosity by supporting good causes with their time and effort. This is opposed to the Hell’s Angels element of motorcyclists. (Yes, the Hell’s Angels are still roaring around.) Anyway, Libby’s first novel, Port of

Meet Hunter, a dog with a very important job. He starts his day by giving 90-year-old Mary Theresa Henning a reason to get up—sometimes before dawn—and take a nice stroll outside in the fresh morning air while he does his “business.” Then, he gives her life a purpose, by requiring a bit of food and

Two weeks before Memorial Day, 40-50 motorcyclists visit local veterans’ facilities and give a presentation to wide-eyed children at Bowman School. Then, they hit Interstate 80, on a 13-day, National Veteran’s Awareness Ride, from Auburn to Washington D.C., paying homage to veterans at key points (veteran’s hospitals, cemeteries, etc.) Libby Worden follows the roar, blogging

Retired from a career as a nurse and hospice worker, Mary Daniels finally has time for her art … sort of! Mary has been an artist for 40 years. In all that time, she says, she has never wanted to do her art under pressure or obligation. Instead, she seeks a creative balance–enjoying life with