In times like these, everyone can use
A Cup of Comfort.
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A Cup of Comfort
A Cup of Comfort for
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Cookbook
A Cup of Comfort
Mothers & Daughters
A Cup of Comfort
Inspiration
A Cup of Comfort
Christmas
A Cup of Comfort for
Courage
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Teachers
About the Contributors:
A Cup of Comfort
A Cup of Comfort for
Friends
A Cup of Comfort for
Women
A Cup of Comfort for
Mothers & Daughters
A Cup of Comfort for
Inspiration
A Cup of Comfort for
Christmas
A Cup of Comfort for
Courage
A Cup of Comfort for
Teachers
A Cup of Comfort for Inspiration
Contributors
Beth Rothstein Ambler ("One Man and a Whole Lot of Somebodies") resides in New Jersey with her husband, Chuck, and her two canine companions. She enjoys the luxury of pursuing her hobby of writing short stories, one of which was published in A Cup of Comfort for Women.
Shery Ma Belle Arrieta ("Close Encounters of the Best Kind") works full-time from her home in Laguna, Philippines, as a writer, online writing workshop facilitator, Internet development consultant to businesses and organizations, and Web site designer. She is the founder of e-Writer's Place.
Nancy Baker ("Recipe for Life") resides in College Station, Texas, with her husband of forty-five years and two cats. She retired from Texas A&M University, where she was a program coordinator and trainer. Since then, she has pursued her lifelong love of writing and has been published in national magazines and anthologies, including A Cup of Comfort for Friends and A Cup of Comfort for Women. She is currently working on her grandmother's biography.
William M. Barnes ("I Won't Forget"), a retired geologist, has been writing for six years. He has received numerous awards for his essays, short stories, and novels, and has had several pieces published in anthologies and in The Houston Chronicle. He lives in The Woodlands, Texas, where he is a member of The Woodlands Writers Guild.
Greg Beatty ("Why I Carry a Bobolight") lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he spends time with his girlfriend, writes, teaches for the University of Phoenix Online, and tries to stay out of the rain. One of his many published stories appears in A Cup of Comfort for Friends.
Marcia E. Brown ("Over the Hill") is an Austin, Texas, senior citizen whose writing has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Specializing in humor, she has completed a book of her funniest family stories. Marcia is a member of the National League of American Pen Women and the Texas Writers' League.
Christy Caballero ("Practical Magic") is a freelance writer and photographer living in the Pacific Northwest. She writes about wildlife and matters of the heart for magazines, newspapers, and rescue groups. Her special bond with animals began with Honcho, the massive German shepherd who decided she belonged to him the day after she was born in Anchorage, Alaska.
Judi Christy ("Shuffle, Step") is an Ohio freelance writer who has penned hundreds of scripts, speeches, and short stories as well as a book on local history. Judi is an arts advocate and antique collector who enjoys good laughs, good wines, and the good company of her family, friends, and fictional acquaintances. Her stories have appeared in other volumes of the A Cup of Comfort series.
Harriet Cooper ("A Five-Dollar Bill") is a freelance humorist and essayist living in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her stories, poems, articles, and anecdotes have appeared in a wide range of newspapers, magazines, anthologies, and Web sites. When not writing, she teaches English as a second language, practices yoga, and hides from her three cats.
Binsey Coté ("With a Little Boost from My Friends") is the mother of four children and has been married to her high school sweetheart for twenty-three years. She currently works as a professional doula, assisting couples throughout their pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. She resides in Santa Maria, California.
Gina Daggett ("Keep Walking") is a freelance writer living in Portland, Oregon. She's an in-house writer for Nervy Girl, as well as a regular contributor to Just Out and the Portland Tribune. Her work has also appeared in Girlfriends, Lesbian News, and Kerf. She reads for Tin House literary journal and is a long-distance runner.
Jean Davidson ("The Greatest Man I Hardly Knew") is an "adventurer," who at the "young age of fifty-nine" recently enrolled as a full-time university student in Pocatello, Idaho, "just for the fun of it." Her greatest passions are being with her family and writing their stories.
Marty Dodge ("The Connection") was born, raised, and continues to live with her husband, Dave, and golden retriever, Casey, in the northeast corner of Iowa. The couple has two children and one grandson, and since retirement have traveled extensively throughout North America. After a rewarding thirty-year career as a voice and piano teacher, she is pursuing a lifetime love of writing. This is her first published piece.
John Forrest ("Ruthie's Run") retired after thirty-four years as an educator and began writing about the exceptional events and wonderful people that have enriched his life. His stories have been published in several magazines and on CBC Radio's "First Person Singular." He lives with his wife, Carol, in Orillia, Ontario, Canada, where they enjoy golfing, traveling, and meddling in the lives of their grown children Rob and Diana.
Brenda Fritsvold ("Incidental Kin") lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and two young sons.
Danielle R. Gibbings ("The Picture on the Wall") is a mother of two, wife, full-time university student, part-time supervisor, and freelance writer in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has published fiction and poetry in various literary e-zines and writes articles and book reviews for a local newspaper. Danielle is powered by an equal balance of friends, caffeine, and family.
Dawn Goldsmith ("Snow Angel"), newspaper reporter, bibliophile, and Illinois resident, freelances full-time and has published essays and articles in a variety of publications and online sites, including Christian Science Monitor, Skirt! Magazine, Quilt World, and several anthologies. She also reviews books for Publishers Weekly and Crescent Blues E'magazine.
Kathryn Gore ("Warm Hearts in a Cold Winter") lives in Magna, Utah. She is a wife and mother of nine children, ranging in age from four years to twenty-four years. She enjoys time spent with her family and in church service. In her spare time she loves to write, read, craft, and sew.
Nancy Gustafson ("The Salvation of Jan and Kurt") has published poetry, short fiction, essays, and articles in several anthologies and journals. She is retired from Sam Houston State University, where she worked as a program coordinator for the Correctional Management Institute of Texas. She lives with her husband, Jan, in Huntsville, Texas.
Tracey Henry ("Balance") is a writer residing in the Tampa Bay area. Her work has appeared in several publications. She also writes a regular column for Backwash.com. She and her husband have two young sons. This story is dedicated to them, to Diane and Sandy, and to the amazing boys of Attention Home.
Joyce Holt ("Angel Wings"), a native and resident of Seattle, Washington, wrote the script for the city of Renton's centennial pageant, a two-hour musical chronicle of local history. She likes to weave, draw caricatures, perform ventriloquism, volunteer in church children's programs, and write science fiction and historical-fantasy novels.
Amy Jenkins ("Sisters in Time") writes articles and creative nonfiction, and is widely published in magazines and books and has read her work on public radio. A lover of anthologies, she manages Anthologies Online, and her work has appeared in several compilations. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, children, and pets.
Sandy Keefe ("Doll Cake") enjoys a rich and wonderfully-balanced life in El Dorado Hills, California, as the mother of three (Burl, Shannon, and Allie). She works as a nurse case manager for children with special needs and writes professional articles, online continuing education programs, and inspirational short stories. Sandy's stories have also appeared in A Cup of Comfort Cookbook, A Cup of Comfort for Women, and A Cup of Comfort for Friends.
Charles Langley ("Reglar Feller") returned to writing after a fifty-nine-year hiatus and at age eighty-six has published more than 100 stories, poems, articles, and columns for e-zines, print magazines, and books. He recently compiled an anthology of the writings of members of the Creative Writing Group, which he moderates.
Nan Leslie ("The Hall of Mirrors") writes full-time from her lakeside cottage in Maine. Her award-winning fiction has been widely published, and she currently edits two literary journals and is working on her first novel.
Norma Lewis ("Gotta Keep Paddling"), a former accounting and sales professional, has been a freelance writer since 1991. She has published more than 100 magazine articles and one nonfiction juvenile book. Widowed from her beloved husband in 1999, she now lives with her cat in Spring Lake, Michigan, where she dotes on her two grandchildren.
Peggy MacKay ("The Dollar Dance") sells real estate for Coldwell Banker in Buena Vista, Colorado. A former account executive for AT&T, she later designed and facilitated outdoor experiential programs for corporate clients. Peggy is a lifelong explorer of the human condition; her avocation is writing.
Valerie L. Merahn ("The Journey of Jake and Dora") graduated cum laude from American University in Washington, D.C. She now lives in New York City, where she is the vice president and general manager of NewsExpress, a division of Burrelle's Information Services. In her spare time, Valerie enjoys writing and is currently working on a collection of children's stories.
Susan B. Mitchell ("Corinna's Quilts"), Corinna's aunt, was born and raised in Provo, Utah, where she fell in love with Robert Mitchell. "Our wedding was delayed because my mother was expecting a new baby," she says. "Mary, the new baby sister, grew up to be Corinna's mommy." The Mitchells enjoy nine children, eighteen grandchildren, and oodles of nieces and nephews. Susan is also a contributor to A Cup of Comfort Cookbook.
Sharon Nesbit ("Prince of Paupers") lives in Troutdale, Oregon, and has worked as a columnist and reporter for the Gresham Outlook newspaper for more than thirty years. She is an amateur historian and author of a small book on the history of Edgefield Manor.
Janice Lane Palko ("Willed"), a writing instructor at a local community college and a columnist, has more than seventy-five published works. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband and three children. Currently, she is busy dreaming up a compelling plot and memorable characters for her third novel.
Michelle Peters ("Give Your Heart Away") resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with her husband and young son. Currently on maternity leave from a social work position, she is considering pursuing a career in writing. This is her first published work.
Kimberly Ripley ("A Bartender's Story" and "Gordon") makes her home in New Hampshire with her husband, Roland, and five children. She is the author of five books, including Freelancing Later in Life, and conducts writing workshops around the country. Her writing has been published in magazines and anthologies, including several volumes of the A Cup of Comfort series.
Julie Clark Robinson's ("The Gift of Robin") muse is usually her family. Much to their relief, she has changed subjects in her current project, a self-help book titled You, Too, Can Be Downright Giddy. Her writing has appeared in Family Circle, Bride's The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, and in anthologies, including A Cup of Comfort for Women. The Robinsons live in Hudson, Ohio.
Leigh P. Rogers ("For the Love of Pixie") is a writer whose stories have been published in Spies' Wives and Nudges from God. She was raised all over the world as the daughter of a CIA agent and is currently working on a manuscript about her experiences abroad. She now resides in Benicia, California.
Marjorie Rommel ("The Last Long Wave Goodbye") lives in Auburn, Washington. A newspaper reporter and editor for many years, she now works as a media relations consultant and college instructor. She was a 2000 Willard R. Espy Literary Foundation resident and received an Adam Family Foundation White Bridge Traveling Fellowship in 2001. She has a husband, six kids, tons of grandkids, a fistful of great-grands, a dog named Toby Glass, and a cat named Harry.
Marcia Rudoff ("Begin Again") teaches memoir writing at the Bainbridge Island Senior Community Center and writes a monthly column for the Bainbridge Review. When not marveling at how much more time volunteering takes than working and raising a family, she enjoys writing, spending time with family and friends, baseball, and chocolate. Her award-winning essays have appeared in Northwest Runner, the Seattle Times, and Stories with Grace.
Nancy Scott ("So I Ask You") is an essayist and poet with numerous credits in regional and national publications, including ByLine, Dialogue, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her writing has also been published in the anthology Staring Back and in A Cup of Comfort for Women.
Deborah H. Shouse ("Ambassadors Are Everywhere" and "Sweet Moments") loves to write about the extraordinary nature of everyday life. She is a writer, speaker, editor, and creativity catalyst. Her work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Newsweek, Woman's Day, Family Circle, and Ms. She has written several business books and memoirs, including Making Your Message Memorable: Communicating Through Stories.
Linda Sonna ("Here and Now, If Not Always") is a psychologist, college instructor, poet, and author of five parenting books, including The Everything® Tween Book, The Everything® Potty Training Book, and The Everything® Toddler Book. She lives in Taos, New Mexico, where she writes and counsels clients. She has fostered six children. "Fostering is the hardest job you'll ever love," she says.
Joyce Stark ("The Gloved Guitarist of Tossa de Mar") was born and lives in Northeast Scotland, and works as a business manager for a mortgage broker. She and her husband love touring Europe and the United States, where Joyce stuffs her pockets with notes for stories to write later.
Kelly L. Stone ("Power Ball of Love") is a writer and a licensed professional counselor who has worked in the field of children's mental health for more than thirteen years. Her essays have been published in A Cup of Comfort for Mothers & Daughters and other anthologies. She lives in the Atlanta area with her four dogs and three cats.
Mary Stripling ("Errands of Honor") has received awards for poetry and prose. She and her husband of forty-two years have two grown children. A registered nurse, she spends her leisure time gardening, reading, and enjoying family and friends.
Anna Therien ("Passing the Halo") lives east of Toronto, Canada, with her husband, two children, and five spoiled cats. When she isn't writing or pursuing the elusive halo, she runs a marketing company with her husband and volunteers on the board of directors of the Writer's Circle of Durham Region.
April Thompson ("Strawberries"), a San Francisco-based freelance journalist, writes for such magazines as Hope, The Sun, Natural Home, and Via. She is currently in Conakry, Guinea, working as a reporter for the United Nations World Food Programme.
Roberta B. Updegraff ("Roots for Sofia") has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for thirty years and is the mother of three terrific children. She is a freelance writer and substitute teacher for Williamsport Area School District in Pennsylvania. She is the author of six Church Choir Mysteries and writes for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance's Mosaic magazine.
Sue Vitou ("The Wonder of Now") is an award-winning writer of more than 200 published articles. Her work has appeared in The Plain Dealer, Sun Newspapers, The Medina Gazette, A Cup of Comfort for Women, and other publications. She lives in Medina, Ohio, with her four children, Matt, John, Brad, and Brenna.
Adrian R. Ward ("To Hold and Behold") is a full-time writer and mother of four young children. Her writing is inspired by her faith, her southern heritage, and her adventures in parenting. She and her husband, Wes, are raising their family in Springville, Alabama.
Barbara Whitby ("For Sura, Who Claimed Her Need to Be Touched"), is a native of England, lives by the sea in Halfax, Eastern Canada. Now retired, she hikes, sails, belly dances, acts as a film extra, and enjoys life as a great-grandmother. Through writing and the occasional radio broadcast, she shares an ardent interest in history, spirituality, healing, and travel.
Gila Zalon ("Stopping Traffic"), the mother of three grown children, divides her time managing her husband's law office, writing, and acting in local theatre groups. When her children were young, she wrote two plays for school fundraisers in which she also performed, and more recently she wrote two short screenplays that were produced by a local film company. With "Stopping Traffic," Gila is thrilled to have entered the world of books.
Kim Zarzour ("When All Is Said") is a freelance writer whose works have been published in national magazines and aired on radio. A former reporter with several daily newspapers, she is the author of parenting books, including Facing the Schoolyard Bully: How to Raise an Assertive Child in an Aggressive World. She cares for her three children, a golden retriever, several half-dead goldfish, and her long-suffering husband in their home near Toronto, Canada.