Category: Uncategorized
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I had the privilege of visiting Vietnam just before the celebration of Tet–the lunar new year. 2026 is the Year of the Horse. It just so happens that it is also my Chinese Zodiak sign. Horses need room to move–they are independent, don’t like to be hemmed in, and prefer to choose their own path–very…
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Cambodia is a country with a long, proud history. At its height, the Angkor Empire once dominated much of Southeast Asia. The photo above was taken at Angkor Wat at sunrise. Once the ancient capital of the Angkor Empire, the city went into decline in the 15th century. Today, the vast temple complex of Angkor…
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As many of you already know, I am a native of Budapest, Hungary. My family escaped the oppressive communist regime in the immediate aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution. We lived in Switzerland and West Germany before finally settling in the United States—our refuge. I embraced American culture, but at home we kept many Hungarian and…
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My kids sometimes reminisce about their childhood years. They remember when I used to blast rock ‘n’ roll music and we’d dance while we were cleaning the house. Music is a natural accompaniment to the rhythms of life. My son-in-law still smiles about the time when my husband and I were there with them after…
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I have been playing tennis since I was a youth. And as an adult, I played on both USTA women’s teams and on mixed doubles teams and women’s doubles teams at my local club. For decades, my friends and I played on Wednesday nights. We’d have a cold beer or a glass of wine afterward—and…
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Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food–but I especially like what it has come to mean to most people–a chance to reflect on the many blessings in our lives. Whether it’s family, friends, or found families, it gives us an opportunity to be together to share a meal and memories. My…
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I am no stranger to publishing. As a historian and college professor, I published two books and several journal articles with academic presses. These provided copy-editing. But it was I who had to make the final edits to complete the manuscripts. For the contemporary romances in the Providence Office Series, I did extensive copy-editing on…
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If you were to google my name, another woman named Margaret Manchester, a writer of historical romances, would be the first to appear. What are the odds? We have the same name, we were both academics before we turned to writing fiction—she lives in northern England, I live in New England. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be…
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Every year, our neighborhood in Rumford has a parade on Halloween. Friends and family from the neighborhood gather for the annual event. Everyone, including the dogs, are in costume. Some are quite extravagant; others are homemade—they’re really fun, especially the creative ones. A police car leads the walkers, and homes along the short parade route…