It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Rating:           10 General Rating:  If you’ve ever wondered how a girl could find herself in an abusive relationship, read Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us. Skip factor:  1%. Only a little at the beginning when I thought it was a romance novel. Who should read:   Women and girls of any age. Summary:  I’ll admit this begins … Read more

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Rating:           9 General Rating: Crawled out from under my rock this week and read my first Kristin Hannah book. (Don’t judge.) Steinbeck would be proud. Of Hannah, not me. This novel is of “Grapes of Wrath” caliber. Over 170,000 Wind reviews versus 19,000 Grape reviews, both garnering over 70% 5-star reviews. Skip factor:  2%. Only because … Read more

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

Rating:           9 General Rating:  This story flows like a song, like a simple breath of air. It was easy to read yet deep. Powerful, yet appalling. I struggled between an 8.5 and 9 rating because the story is quieter than most. The characters are, at times, flat. However, I feel the author’s character development was … Read more

Do You Have a Friend Story to Share?

Happy April Fool’s Month! Who’s that friend who makes you laugh the most? Email your funniest friend experience to [email protected], and I’ll e-mail you a free e-book copy of one of my chick-lit books—your choice! I’ve heard from lots of women about friend mishaps since I wrote the first story of Nikki’s unquenchable thirst for … Read more

An Author’s Life

Want to be a writer? Um, maybe you don’t.    I’m in a hostage situation. See that view in the window? (Yes, I have my Jack pants on.) That’s me. Every morning. At 5 am. Scratch that, 4 am. Okay, scratch that, too. Truthfully, I’ve been up between 2:30 and 3 am every day this week, … Read more

Three Sisters by Heather Morris

Rating:           8 General Rating: A World War II story about the perseverance of three sisters, whom survived Auschwitz and Birkenau. Who should read:  Those interested in touching stories about holocaust survivors. Sisters. Women who have survived similar atrocities, and certainly survivors and children of holocaust survivors. Skip factor:  8%. I skipped more than a little between 60% … Read more

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Rating:     10    Serendipitous. Heartfelt and enjoyable. A lovely warm tale about  a woman and a tentacled creature. If only life mimicked this book, rewarded truly deserving people who have weathered fate’s storms. Skip factor: I skipped nothing. 0%    Who should read? Readers who need a boost from life’s norm. Women who love serendipitous stories … Read more

It’s Simple. It’s Choice. It’s Freedom.

Isn’t it wonderful that, as women, we can debate abortion?

Thank you to the women who have shared their thoughts. In many countries, women don’t have this right. Some are forbidden to voice their opinion. Some can’t walk outside without a man. Some aren’t able to go to school and learn to write elegant posts.

To ensure freedom exists for our female descendants, it is imperative we fight for the division of church and state, now.

To those of you who are pro-life, let me explain. If the laws in our country allow men, who believe a baby’s life begins with conception, to ban abortion, then when a different regime is in power, men who believe life begins at first breath, they have the ability to force abortion on women. It’s that simple. Yes.

This is not about life. This is not even about abortion. This is about choice. And freedom. Freedom for all women—rich or poor. Removing the ban on abortion unjustly affects women in the inner-city who don’t have the means to travel hundreds or thousands of miles for an abortion. The powers to be, the rich, the politicians, the upper echelon of our country seldom, if ever, experience the cold, lonely, feeling of not being able to feed your child. Of being forced into a back alley for an abortion so painful and grueling they will never forget it—only to be persecuted for it later.

To the righteous: quoting the bible only proves the decision to allow the banning of abortion is based on religion, and your posting of baby pictures and calling women who have had abortions murderers is persecution.

My religious beliefs are my own. Separate and distinct. As the laws should be. I will defend until my dying day, my sister’s right to make her own choices based on her own situation and her own religion, despite my beliefs and religion. I will never support taking rights away from another woman.

It’s simple, really. It’s about our daughters’ and granddaughters’ future. It’s about a woman’s choice. It’s about freedom.

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CJ Zahner is a woman, mother, and grandmother. No m,ore need be said.

Saturday Morning Runs

Saturday Morning Runs From the sky it looks like a puzzle piece, Presque Isle. The sort of piece that finds your hand first because it’s the most colorful, most distinguishable. It’s the one you want to begin with, fit the other pieces around. From high above, its jagged edges disappear into the blue water, and … Read more