Author Archives: Kathy

About Kathy

I grew up in Buffalo,New York the second eldest child in a family that eventually included eight children. The neighborhood was an Irish-American enclave. These two facts explain a great deal about me. I spent many years as a teacher who really thought of herself as a writer.

Cruising

  I love cruising. To me, it is the only true vacation—a real get-away, a chance to be separated from all the things that disturb the calm of daily life: phones, emails, text messages, doctor’s appointments, and the demands others … Continue reading

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Submission Blues

  Remember when you sent your first child off to school for the first time?  You probably took her shopping and bought new clothes—including socks and underwear. You may have purchased a brand new school outfit. When the big day … Continue reading

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Labor Day

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. There were parades, speeches and cookouts all over the United States to celebrate this important day. Every year on Labor Day, I think of my Dad, Thomas R. Joyce, Jr. He was a … Continue reading

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Love Stories

A funny thing happens when I tell people that my novel is going to be published sometime in the near future. The first reaction is usually to congratulate me. Then comes the inevitable question, “What’s it about?” That’s when I … Continue reading

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Sounds in the Night

I lie in bed, waiting for the overwhelming fatigue of the day to finally settle in my bones and to quiet my racing thoughts. Tossing and turning, I grabbed the blankets and pulled them toward me. The house was unnervingly … Continue reading

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Puppy Love, Part II

In my previous post, I told about how we came to welcome our delightful dog Sparkle  into our home. There is so much more to this story. I resisted having a dog for so long and I and so many … Continue reading

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Puppy Love

  For many years, my husband campaigned to get a dog. I resisted, claiming that the dog would be too much trouble and that we worked too many hours. In addition, I am allergic to furry animals and developed asthma … Continue reading

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Friends

“Weathered by pain. Sheltered by friends.”  (Quoted in Reader’s Digest ) These words sum up simply so much of what I have been thinking about lately. Friends are important to me and my husband. Family is equally important, of course. … Continue reading

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Whales!!!

    We arrived home from a cruise to Alaska late Monday morning—exhausted after a red-eye flight and hustling through two large and disorganized airports. We jumped at the chance to cruise through the Inside Passage in Alaska—mostly to spend … Continue reading

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Where is There?

There is the place I think I want to go to—and then when I get there, I dream of being home. There is the place everyone I have loved all my life still is, while I am here. Yet, when … Continue reading

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