Cartagena, Columbia
We only had a half-day in Cartagena, but we made the most of it with a walking tour of the Old City. We saw the fortress built to stop the repeated plundering of Cartagena by English and French pirates, a Catholic church where canonized priest Peter Claver evangelized thousands of black slaves from Africa, and …
Panama Canal
After a night in the Bay of Panama within sight of Panama City, the Island Princess lined up for her turn to go through the Miraflores Locks. Rick and I spent most of the day hanging out and over our balcony, snapping pictures of the ingenious lock system of the Panama Canal. A fully loaded …
Costa Rica
After another relaxing day at sea, we arrived at Puntarenas, Costa Rica, early in the morning. We gathered downstairs in the Universe Lounge to await our instructions to disembark and meet up with our tour guide. Andre proved to be a hoot. He talked non-stop for the five hour tour, regaling us with stories of …
Guatemala
After four soothing days on the blue Pacific, the Island Princess pulled into Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, “the land of trees”. The air was sultry, just the way I like it. Rick and I embarked on a day trip to Antigua, an UNESCO World Heritage site surrounded by mountains. On the drive up, we passed two …
Sea Days
When Rick and I were offered the opportunity to take a dream trip through the Panama Canal, we jumped at it. Now, on board the Island Princess ship sailing south from Los Angeles, we’ve settled into our room, unpacked our bags and stowed them under the bed, and are enjoying the warm, salt sea air. …
Redeeming Love the Movie
I love movies. Rick and I have quite a collection. While it may shock some, we enjoy old horror movies like “The Blob” (Steve McQueen version), “War of the Worlds” (Gene Barry version), “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still” (Michael Renny). I added “Eight-Legged Freaks” a few years ago, …
Would I Change the Ending?
Would I change the ending? A number of readers want to know why I stripped Angel at the end of the story. There is a simple answer to this and a more complex one. The simple answer is I wanted Angel to be like Eve before she offered the fruit to Adam, naked and right …
Do I know any Michael Hoseas?
My husband became a Michael Hosea. In a sense, so did I. Neither of us were Christians when we married, and we struggled. We had very high highs and very low lows. Think of a roller coaster ride and you get some idea. We were on the edge of divorce when I found a church …
Redeeming Love’s Most Difficult Section
When I first started writing Redeeming Love, I thought about beginning the book when Angel was already a prostitute living in a brothel in Pair-a-Dice. I realized quickly that readers would not empathize with Angel unless they knew her back story and how she came to be so blind and stubbornly resistant to the love …