Jo’s Jottings

From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs, and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. May is springtime in Wisconsin. But for me May is also the month when my husband died, and so it carries a tinge of melancholy. But also, memory—the memory of over four decades of a love story I could never have imagined. This summer, I am releasing the memoir I have written about my beloved’s last six months and my first two...

From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs, and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. Today I am thinking about—of all things—Parkinson’s Disease. April is National PD Month and as the co-author with the brilliant Dr. Michele Tagliati of Parkinson’s Disease for Dummies, this is a time of year when I spend time thinking of my sister, who died of the disease and of my friend and co-author of the original PDFD, Dr....

I have had a lifelong passion for history — the choices and challenges faced by others in trying times. I find myself looking for connections and a visit to the Holocaust Museum in DC led me to just such a connection with the story of the White Rose Resistance group, sending me down a rabbit hole of research that has blossomed into years of looking for little known stories of WWII heroes and heroines. From there telling their stories through my stories has become my passion. Click here to see...

From the time I began seeking a career as a published author, I saw no reason to limit myself to fiction or non-fiction. I loved storytelling, but at the same time felt I had something share from the ‘real job’ career I had chosen in the field of eldercare. Early on I published several works on caregiving and aging for AARP Books. Then thirteen years ago my agent approached me with the possibility of working on a guide for people with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners. The interested...

Hello and welcome to my blog. From time to time I will take a break from writing novels, memoirs and other things to share some random thoughts on random topics I hope you might find interesting. Today I am thinking about libraries and their importance to communities—a mostly free resource that gives access to books, films, music, art, programs, and more to those savvy enough to make regular visits there. Over my long career as a writer, libraries have inspired me creatively leading me more...