Pop the cork, light the bonfire, dance in the street, and celebrate Nine Cent Girl’s 10 years of blogging!

What started as just a way to keep myself writing between novels has become a way of expressing all of my thoughts and ideas and frustrations and dreams, from the best of times to the worst of times, and everything in between. So many of you have been a Nine Cent Girl fan from the get-go, while others popped in during a decade of Thursday night posts. Regardless, I am so grateful you are here now.

Sometimes I write with an urgency that is spurred by events happening clear across the globe, while other posts seem to emerge from personal experience, but always there is that need to write. To converse with all of you. To join my ideas with the current of information that is flowing 24/7 over the platforms that we all reach for at day’s end. Nine Cent Girl forced me to dig beyond headlines, to follow the story, find some truth, and form an opinion. There is so much to research and understand, and finding that is indeed what always draws me. Swirling in the chaos and discovering the still point. Right there is a kernel worth our notice. I suppose I will forever be a student, set on inquiry to lead me places worth my time. And, if I do my job right, hopefully your time as well.

Writing is a delicious treat. Savoring each nibble of a phrase or idea and having a blast doing just that is when Nine Cent Girl sails blissfully along on the horizon. And not only the writing any more, but capturing my world through photographs has been an additional goodie for me. Stopping to take in the scene. Documenting the moment as best as I can with iPhone in hand. My first posts were sans photos, but slowly they moved into this place and are often the catalyst for a blog. My original tag line: Fashion, Family, Food…Life! still guides my inspiration most weeks, although I rarely find enough time for a fabulous style shoot these days. As the season shifts, I will have to remedy that soon. Snow is welcome!

2020 is not exactly the year for a block party big splash, but please do join me in spreading some joy in your own way. Go for a longer run before the darkness falls. Call an old friend and ask how they’re coping. Put on those favorite pearl earrings even if you’re just chillin on the couch. Craft yourself a cocktail or a mocktail and lift a glass for the occasion. We all need to get a little more party in the house.