Welcome to the MadCity Writer Blog
Angela England’s Backyard Farming On an Acre
Angela England has long been an inspiration to me. I got to know her online through mutual freelance writing endeavors. She is the true "Renaissance" woman, working with her husband to raise five children on a small plot of land in Oklahoma where...
What I’m Reading Now: The Heirloom Murders
Kathleen Ernst is a Wisconsin author who may be best known for her American Girl books. She had written eight American girl mysteries featuring young heroines who are strong as well as smart. And in September American Girl will be launching its newest character,...
Class of 2016 Mindset List
Did you know that today's college freshmen think blue M&M's have always co-existed with red and brown ones? In their world Martin Lawrence has always been banned from Saturday Night Live. Gene therapy has always been an available medical treatment. And history has...
Madeline Island and the Apostle Islands
My husband took me away for a (too) short vacation to Madeline Island this past weekend. Madeline Island is one of the Apostle Islands up on Lake Superior, just north of Bayfield, Wisconsin. I have no idea why they are named the Apostle Islands, as there...
What I’m Reading Now: Ordinary Angels by Bridget Birdsall
Some books provide escapism. Some books make you think. Some books force you to confront emotions that are so raw you don't know what to do with them. That's what Bridget Birdsall's book, Ordinary Angels, did for me. I have never experienced the kind...
Heroes in My Eyes–Spending Father’s Day in the V.A. Hospital
I am spending Father’s Day with my Dad in the V.A. hospital. Kind of a crappy place for a guy to have to be on Father’s Day—in the hospital. But if you have to be in a medical facility anywhere, this is the one you want: The William S. Middleton...
Romance Writer Dave Thome Talks About…Romance
Money, sex, image…and love. Those are the key themes in Milwaukee writer Dave Thome’s debut romance novel Fast Lane. Wait a minute! you say. He’s a romance writer? But isn’t he a guy? Yes. And yes. Dave is also a journalist, a screenwriter, a...
What I’m Reading Now: Copper River, a Mystery by William Kent Krueger
A teenage girl’s body floats down river, a cougar stalks the resort area, a man shows up with a bullet in his leg and a price on his head…all the elements of an enthralling mystery. And Minnesota writer William Kent Krueger doesn’t disappoint in his 2009 novel,...
What I’m Watching Now: Two Great TV Shows About Geneology
Shortly after I got married – eons ago – I became obsessed with researching my family history. That was back in the days before home computers. To get records, I had to request microfiche film from our local Mormon church, send letters overseas with return...