I have always been fascinated with herbs since childhood. I can blame it on my parents because instead of taking my siblings and me to amusement parks, we always ended up at museums or historical areas. I was entranced with life in earlier times, especially learning how people used herbs in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Novels change us from within.

I am feeling frayed at the seams with grief over senseless death. We lost a young family friend who was only 28 years old yesterday. She was severely autistic. Her language was minimal, but she had the gift of bringing joy to everyone she met. Perhaps, it was her innocence, her special smile, or her…