Jo’s Jottings: Not a Thanksgiving Story – Just A Gravy Story

Jo’s Jottings: Not a Thanksgiving Story – Just A Gravy Story

When I was a junior in high school, I became the cook and cleaner of our house. My mom was in care for depression at a private facility. My oldest sister was married and my next oldest was away at college. So it was me, my Dad and my 9-year-old brother. I wasn’t a bad...
Jo’s Jottings: The Serendipity of My Life

Jo’s Jottings: The Serendipity of My Life

Many years ago, I was in Washington DC making my first visit to the Holocaust Museum. I had already been blown away by the way the museum designers had set up the path visitors would travel. First, you are given an identity card—someone who lived during the Holocaust;...
Jo’s Jottings: The Highs and Lows of Self-Publishing

Jo’s Jottings: The Highs and Lows of Self-Publishing

Over the last three days I have spent many hours at the computer trying (without success) to upload my latest work to the marketplace. There is a lot to be said for being an independent author—I get to write what I want and I am in control (sort of) all the...
Jo’s Jottings for July 2023

Jo’s Jottings for July 2023

Just back from attending a seminar at the American Library Association’s national conference in Chicago. Key take-away? LIBRARIANS ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS! Just like fire and police and the men and women who plow the snow from streets in winter and care for public parks...
Jo’s Jottings for June 2023

Jo’s Jottings for June 2023

From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs, and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. Today I am thinking about libraries and their importance to communities—a mostly free resource that...
More of Jo’s Jottings for May 2023

More of Jo’s Jottings for May 2023

From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs, and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. May is springtime in Wisconsin. But for me May is also the month when my husband died, and so it...