It's Monday morning. And I'm tired for one of the best reasons! Last night was the monthly meeting of my book club, the Nightlighters. And we definitely lived up to our name, talking pretty late into the evening for a school night. As it is the holiday season, we decided to do a book exchange and we were supposed to bring a book to give as part of this. Sounds easy right? Well, not for me. I was worried...
Today is Black Friday, if you're braving the malls and high traffic areas - good luck! We're going to play table tennis and watch Gilmore Girls. Tomorrow, however, I will brave the shopping areas because it is Small Business Saturday, at least according to Kristen Bell. (You may know her from Frozen fame and the great new show The Good Place. She'll always be Veronica Mars to me. Go Marshmallows!) She's done a series of commercials to support the day and they worked on me, at least! I'm in!
You see that big, glistening, juicy-looking bird? I can’t eat that. You see that stuffing? I can’t eat that either. That pie? Nope. So, how does a gluten free vegetarian (technically pescatarian as I will eat seafood, but try to limit it) survive Thanksgiving then, you ask? It's all about the side dishes and remembering why I did this to myself in the first place.
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Since I live in Northern Virginia, I get to experience fall in it's full glory. Even if fall doesn't officially end until December, unofficially it's nearly time to say goodbye. I'm sad it is coming to a close, but I look forward to it returning again. And, in a way that feels like a larger metaphor at the moment. Therefore, as an ode to fall, I wrote a little poem to say good bye. Oh and there are pictures too.
This weekend I will be in Staunton, VA signing my book, The Travelers, at the wonderful Sacred Circle Bookstore and Gift shop. (If you live or happen to be nearby come and see me!) Sadly, finding a bookstore like this one is rare. While I love my local Barnes and Noble (I will take any place where I can get physical books), I miss the small book retailers, the unicorns of the book world. There are so few now. But, they can still be found, check out a few here.
Today I walked outside, a bright sun shone like a spotlight on all the vibrant reds, mellow yellows, and perfect peaches still clustered in the trees. The rest of fall crunched on the ground beneath my feet. It reminded me of... Continue Reading →
While touring Northern Virginia and taking pictures of places that inspired The Travelers, I thought it might be fun to check out the cemetery adjacent to my mother’s childhood farmhouse in Manassas, right near the battlefield. (Yes, I realize my idea of fun might not be the same as everyone else.)
So, what is The Travelers about, you might ask. Is it a book about people who travel through a forest? (Uh, no.) Is it a book about people who travel around the world observing nature? (Nope, sorry.) Does it have anything to do with traveling anywhere? (Well….) Actually, the title is a little misleading. Most of the book takes place in one location, which is based on my hometown of Northern Virginia. (OK, yes, that’s not really a town. It’s more like a collection of small towns, suburbs and counties just outside Washington, DC. Just go with it people.)
So, this is my first blog and not just on this website, but ever. Maybe I should have called this blog “38-year-old Grandma in Progress” because I’m not exactly social media savvy. (I also just recently discovered twitter @klkranes.) My husband and daughter constantly tell me I’m turning into my technology-phobic mother...
K.L. Kranes 