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I really enjoy spending time with the attendees at the MIRCI Conferences. They are women from all over the globe who come together once a year for three days to discuss current issues surrounding women, feminism and motherhood. It is inspiring to be in the presence of such dedicated, intelligent women, to discuss their concerns
When I was a young mom, I was not naïve; I knew that life has it ups and downs. I expected a Merry-Go-Round, and got a Roller-Coaster. I thought that my life would go up and down, up and down, in gentle expected cycles of highs and lows. I didn’t anticipate the sudden terrifying plunges,
We have all heard the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The warning is to not make quick judgements about people. If we don’t dig beneath the surface, we can underestimate them, which also means we can undervalue them. At first glance, in a public setting, Nick is an adult male, typically
I received another life lesson in perspective from Nick. You might remember that almost two years ago, he negotiated with his dad and I to receive $20 a week from us. Well the past couple of weeks have been hectic in the Gremmert household and I forgot to give him his money. The other afternoon,
Nick was about seven when he finally gained the skills to feed himself. It was a long road, but he finally got there. He spent many years, three meals a day, eating food that was pureed in a blender. It was the only consistency he could manage to swallow without choking. Then he graduated to
When Nick was little, the doctors warned us many times that he would probably get to a point where he’d reach a plateau in development and quit learning new things. That hasn’t happened. I want to tell you about our Christmas Miracle this week. Last Wednesday, while we were experiencing all the fun hectic traditions
Caregiving for a loved one with a rare and debilitating disease can stretch our capacities to the maximum. Some days our responsibilities feel overwhelming. Those days, when we are observing our life, all we can see is the storm clouds and the rain pouring down. We have so many things to do and are not
Nick has strong opinions on what he considers the correct timing of things. Yesterday was Thanksgiving and today begins the Christmas season. First thing this morning he began singing Christmas carols. Sometimes during the year, I tease him a little bit. I will start singing Christmas carols when it is not between Thanksgiving and New
This morning, I got notification that an article I had written had been published in the Rare Patient News. The topic is traveling when you child has special needs. I was excited to learn about it and was reminded of a skit by Steve Martin. The new phone book arrived in the mail (this was
Do you know all 4 verses of our US national anthem? Nick does. Did you know that there were 4 verses? I think that most people in the US don’t. You can look it up online. I find the messages of each verse to be inspiring. Contrary to current media coverage of the NFL, this blog
Announcing that I have finished a book with the working title of “The Fairy Fort.” I am currently pitching it to publishers. Keep checking back to watch the progress of my newest novel.
Here is a quick glimpse of the story.
Sarah Doherty is an 18-year-old living in rural Ireland at the tail end of the Great War. Plagued by severe epilepsy, she is protected by her parents and lives a sheltered, secluded, lonely life. The Fae, local Irish fairies, interfere with her life. She falls forward a century in time through the local fairy fort of standing stones. She had a seizure in 1918 and woke up in 2020. The 21st century world includes life-saving prescriptions, physical comforts and the independence and freedom she seeks. The locals are welcoming and Andy Mclaughlin, a handsome young historian, is intriguing. She doesn’t want to return home.
Then a letter arrives from Boston divulging the story of Sarah and Andy’s lives that are deeply entwined in the previous century. They are not yet in love but as they seek to verify the letter through online resources, they feel a growing obligation to their unborn family and to each other. What would happen to their posterity living in Boston if they don’t return to 1918? Even if they do make it back, her parents can never know what happened to her or that would change everything.
This Young Adult time-travel romance explores the question: Do we have the freedom to make choices or is free will an elaborate illusion?
This is my third book. I love reading time travel romances. I am an advocate for epilepsy awareness because my 43-year-old son has intractable epilepsy. As a genealogist specializing in Irish research, I live part of the year in the village where the story is based. I wrote the book to help young adults understand that difficult situations can change your life. Sometimes miraculously.
