Category Archives: Cats & Dogs

Blind Author’s Inspiring Message Transforms Book Cover Competition

October is one of my favorite months. It’s a great time to take a vacation, but this year, I’m doing no such thing. In fact, I’m working harder than I ever have. Earlier this month, my educator-recommended novel, The Heart … Continue reading

Posted in AllAuthor, authors, Blindness, Book Cover, breast cancer, Cats & Dogs, Education, fantasy, novel, The Heart of Applebutter Hill, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, young adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Blindness & Faith Healing: an Old Street Performer’s Musings

As a blind woman who worked as a street performer for eleven years, I have experienced many wonderful moments with the public. I’ve also experienced some awkward, painful and infuriating ones. The ministrations of faith healers were particularly aggravating. Before … Continue reading

Posted in authors, Blindness, Braille, bullying, Cats & Dogs, faith healing, Guide dogs, memoir, nature, novel, Pennsylvania, Rural Life, songwriting, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, young adult | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The New Dog Under the Table, Explanations of My Absence and a Request 

It’s been almost three years since my last original post. You would think I’d forgotten that I am a writer. In fact, The Hills have had major distractions in the intervening years — many of which have been unpleasant to … Continue reading

Posted in authors, Blindness, Cats & Dogs, Guide dogs, novel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Symbolism of the Locks on the Erie Canal & an Author’s Dog Fighting IBD

Do you take comfort in certain manmade structures? Two of my top three – lighthouses and covered bridges – have virtually universal appeal. Lighthouses are beacons of hope, turning unforeseen disasters into visible rock formations, skirted with a flick of … Continue reading

Posted in authors, Blindness, Cats & Dogs, Dogs, Guide dogs, Service Dogs, Visually Impaired, Wrighting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Friendships in the Dark by Phyllis Campbell – a Book Review

Friendships in the Dark, Vol. 1 by Phyllis Campbell My rating: 5 of 5 stars When you read the subtitle of Friendships in the Dark, what do you think you’ll be getting? Stories about great people? Great animals? If so, … Continue reading

Posted in authors, Blindness, Book Reviews, Cats & Dogs, Dogs, Guide dogs, memoir, Service Dogs, Uncategorized, Visually Impaired, Wrighting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Stray Cat & Working Dog: Abandonment, Rescue & Redemption in the Middle of Nowhere

According to an evolutionary time-line exhibit at Wyoming’s Fossil Butte National Monument, dogs and cats shared a common ancestry until 42 million years ago. Factions from both groups ultimately took the plunge into domestication, so what drove them apart to … Continue reading

Posted in Cats & Dogs, Guide dogs, novel, Service Dogs, Wrighting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment