The Third Floor – a true ghost story

Ghosts don’t exist. They belong in the realm of fairies, goblins, hobbits, and other fictional characters. At least, that is what I believed until my trip to Italy. I flew to Milan with the intention of staying at Pension Carrobbio, a three-story hotel near the Piazza del Duomo. My friend who suggested the place said

The Muse

In June of 1984, I flew to Milan to attend a summer course at the Academy of Fine Arts. My college professor had suggested the Academy after spending a semester voicing his frustration over my lifeless portraits. “Tessa,“ he had pleaded. “Stop painting with your eyes and learn to paint with emotion.” At nineteen, I

Condo or Kitty Prison?

I recently moved out of a condominium complex where my neighbors called my cats the ‘welcoming community’. Every day I would open my front door and my Persian Blue Tomcat and his Bengal Tabby sidekick would trot down to the first floor and

The Beauty of a Second Chance

Excerpts from: The Beauty of a Second Chance. Ebook and paperback editions available at Amazon. PROLOGUE STAR TUCKED HER CHAMPAGNE glass inside the Boeing 757’s seat flap in front of her. “I can’t believe I dated one of the richest men in Italy for two months and I’m coming home with less money in my

Writer’s Block or Run

How many times have you left characters waiting on the page because you don’t know what to write next? You know where your characters have been and where you want them to end up, but you can’t seem to figure out what to do with them