Author Archives: robinmaderich

Small Batch? Splendid!

Last weekend, my eldest son drove me around for some errand running. It was quite a bit past lunch time and we were contemplating whether we should stop and grab something or head home. Well, by chance (not really by chance, I insisted we head over that way) we pulled into the parking lot forContinueContinue reading “Small Batch? Splendid!”

The Shadows We Make – Reader Question #1

I recently invited the followers on the Jo Allen Ash Facebook page to send me questions they might have about The Shadows We Make—characters, settings, something they might be wondering about the writing process, or whatever (within reason) interested them. The first questions, from Don J., is: How do you decide when to switch fromContinueContinue reading “The Shadows We Make – Reader Question #1”

Simple, but oh so true…

My brother posted this picture on Facebook. He has recently been quite ill and is still recovering. But even if he hadn’t been, if none of us had ever been, this cartoon of Charlie Brown and Snoopy should hold true for all of us. Whoever originally illustrated it (Mr. Schultz, was it you?), posted it,ContinueContinue reading “Simple, but oh so true…”

Again, with the peonies?

Of course. I love my peonies. I’m probably boring everyone with photos of peonies, but every year they fill the air with the most wondrous fragrance and the blooms grow more abundantly each season. I love the ethereal look of them, the way the ants industriously get them to bloom, the delicate, soft feel, theContinueContinue reading “Again, with the peonies?”

Might I boast?

Silly thing to ask, but I’m not used to tooting my own horn. However, I received the most fantastic review for my upcoming release (July 14, 2022) of my debut as a young adult author with the dystopian, sci-fi/fantasy novel, The Shadows We Make, written using the pen name Jo Allen Ash. When I firstContinueContinue reading “Might I boast?”

Rainy Days and Fridays

I know the song is Rainy Days and Mondays, but it happened to be a rainy Friday when these pictures were taken. I walked around in a rain that had turned to mist, noting how green the plants have all become, how lush the ferns, how the droplets clung to the surfaces, especially the hosta’sContinueContinue reading “Rainy Days and Fridays”

Spring…finally

and just in time for summer. Right now, the temperature is nearing eighty degrees and some heavy storms are due to come in from the southwest. Spring in the Northeast, however, (or at least my portion of the Northeast) has been a bit sporadic and slow in coming, with a hard freeze less than twoContinueContinue reading “Spring…finally”

Bemoaning Change

One might think from this blog’s title that I am adverse to change. In general, I am not. Change can be good. Medical advances are a good thing, for one. So is a change of scenery (believe me). But I wish to address the changes that have been going on for quite a while inContinueContinue reading “Bemoaning Change”