Articles by Author Deborah Swenson
“Till My Last Breath” by Deborah Swenson
The Wait Is Almost Over After years of breathing life into Emily and Caleb, they are finally ready to take the leap into the literary world in my debut novel, Till My Last Breath. As Betty D. might say, "It's been a bumpy ride." Still, during all this time, I never...
Words No Bars Can Hold, Literacy Learning in Prison, by Deborah Appleman
Words No Bars Can Hold, Literacy Learning in Prison by Deborah Appleman, W.W. Norton & Company, 2019. "This is the creative life - what Oscar Wilde called the long lovely suicide. If prison is a trapdoor at rock bottom, then writing is the mortar in...
Lillian’s Legacy: Gardner Sibling Trilogy
Deborah's Book Review Lillian's Legacy: Gardner Sibling Trilogy by award winning author Carmen Peone is a heartwarming and inspirational story of Lillian Gardner's journey in her coming of age. Lillian is one of three children of Phillip and Elizabeth...
“Beloved Over All” by Irene Sandell
"Beloved Over All," is a work of historical fiction, based on actual characters by Irene Sandell, an award winning author. In this novel, Ms. Sandell delves deep into early Texas history, fusing fact with fiction to tell a story of endurance, survival, tortured lives, and loves lost.
“Line of Glory” by Thomas D. Clagett
Line of Glory by Thomas Clagett is a riveting book about the final 13 hours before the battle of the Alamo. A story of heart-wrenching proportions, Mr. Clagett, delves deeply into the minds of the heroic soldiers facing certain death. Reverently, he weaves a story of the arduous hours before, and the traumatic moments during the battle, that will have you spellbound within the book’s pages.
A sacred monument, the Alamo played a crucial battle fought to prevent the centralization of the Mexican government during the Texas Revolution.
Book Reviews
‘The Women of the West are alive within the pages of a great book.’ Welcome to the first of my Book Reviews. I had the honor of reviewing the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of this wonderfully written book by Author, Kathleen Morris. We met in San Antonio, Texas, in...
Therapeutic Horsemanship
She had me at her first blink. Her liquid chocolate brown eyes with lashes the length any woman would envy, gazed into the very depths of my soul. Her calming aura lent a remarkable dignity for a newbie such as myself. Asking her permission, I reached out my hand to be rewarded with a warm rub of her baby-soft muzzle. How could I not fall in love? This was my introduction to the world of Therapeutic Horsemanship (TH).
Women Writing the West 2019 Conference
I had the privilege of attending the 25th Anniversary of Women Writing the West conference in San Antonio, Texas earlier this month. Held in the heart of the city at the Omni La Mansion del Rio, with its old world architecture and true Texas hospitality, made the stay a pleasant get-a-way from the damp and rainy days of Washington’s fall weather.
There’s Something About… Libraries and Book Stores
Libraries and small book stores are valuable assets to any town, large or small. They serve as gathering places and learning spaces, while enhancing the appeal to our community surroundings. There is something about going into a bookstore or library where the scent of ink on paper calls out to our curious mind saying, “Come, and explore what is hidden within my pages.”
Waves of Writing
Have you ever felt that sometimes life comes at you in waves? Crashing into you with such force it knocks you off balance, causing you to lose your footing in the undertow. While struggling amongst the chaos, that inner voice has you fighting for survival,...
