It was a dark and stormy night…

I woke up this morning to 58 degrees. That’s a big deal in south Florida. It actually feels like autumn even if the only fall color is the fake garland I’ve used to decorate my house. Cooler weather energizes me. I’m not naïve. It won’t last, so I take advantage while I can.  As soon…

When is a nickel not a nickel? When it’s a five dollar gold coin. Or something like that. Do you ever wonder about the origins of words or sayings? I do. I find language and words fascinating. Not surprising, considering I’m an author. I recently had a character use a slang word, then I had…

Welcome back to my third post on the romantic heroines of the Bible. Today I want us to study a literal beauty queen. Esther’s outward beauty cannot be contested. The biblical narrative tells us “The young woman was lovely and beautiful.” (Esther 2:7) So beautiful, she was chosen to go into the king’s harem. But…

Have you ever wondered about the woman from da Vinci’s most famous painting? Who was she? Theories abound and range from a princess to an unknown courtesan, to Vinci’s mother, to his self-portrait. Wait. What? Self-portrait? Isn’t Lisa a girl? There are some who look at Lisa and think she has masculine features. I didn’t…