• Tales from the Kitchen

    Tales from the Kitchen

    Homemade Artisan Bread My mother made her own bread at home for longer than I can remember, and as much as I loved the warm and comforting aroma of baking bread that filled the kitchen, I couldn’t understand why she would go through so much effort week after week. Now that I’ve started making it…

  • A SHORT STORY

    A SHORT STORY

    I’m excited to share my short story, Footprints in the Snow, which received Special Recognition in the Writers Weekly Winter 2025 short story contest. I hope you enjoy it! Footprints in the Snow by Josephine Strand Outside Matt’s window, the view was one of serene beauty and stillness, wrapped in a soft snowy blanket. The…

  • Writing Life: An Excerpt From the Current Draft of “Finding Home” – The Prequel to ‘Misty Dreams’

    This excerpt is an unedited draft and may contain errors, inconsistencies, or changes from the final version. It is shared for early insight and enjoyment only. Thank you for reading! “Are you okay?” Max asked the boy hunched on the park bench. The kid couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen. One sleeve of his…

  • Crutch Words in Writing: How to Spot and Avoid Them

    One of the biggest mistakes I made in crafting my first novel was relying too much on “crutch” words—those little words and phrases we slip into our writing without thinking. Sometimes we use them out of habit, sometimes to fill space or emphasize a point. In my early drafts, I constantly used words like just,…

  • Tales From the Kitchen

    Tales From the Kitchen

    Valentine’s Day Pancakes-From Scratch!

  • Tales From the Kitchen

    For me, baking isn’t just about satisfying a sweet tooth—it’s my way of staying sane. And with everything happening in our country and in the world, I’ve been wanting to bake a LOT!Usually it’s to whip up something traditional and decadent, like apple pie or chocolate chip cookies. But every now and then, I like…

  • Judging a Book by its Cover: Trends in Romance Book Cover Designs

    I’m the first to admit it. I’m that person who breaks the ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ rule when it comes to choosing a romance novel to read. Even when it comes to my own books, cover design plays an important part in the decision process. As I edge closer to the completion…

  • Craving the simple life: Sicily, a Home Away from Home

    No place I’ve lived in or visited has shaped me as profoundly as the Italian region where I was born, despite living on different continents for most of my life. Yet, every time I visit, I feel as if I’ve come home. Whether Sicilian-born or of Sicilian descent, we are forever tethered to our roots,…

  • Reunited in the Digital Age: Rediscovering old friendships through social media

    You’re probably wondering who these ladies are hiding behind their signs. They are Rose, Grace, Maria, Franca and yours truly, Josephine; We’re a bunch of baby boomers scattered across five different countries, and we’ve got this daily WhatsApp chat thing going on.

  • Remembering the drive-in theater: the best pajama fun

    Shenandoah Valley, VA 2002 When earlier this month I read Janet Dailey’s novel, Blue Moon Haven, I was transported back to my childhood. The book is a romance novel about a woman who moves to a small Alabama town with her two foster children, where she takes on the arduous job of reviving an old…

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