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As I near the finish line on my first fictional novel, *The Escape Key*, I’m feeling more isolated than ever. Part of me craves solitude while I write—especially so I’m not constantly getting up to let the dogs in and out every hour. Those interruptions don’t help; they slow everything down to a crawl. But another part of me misses having a friend to celebrate with—the kind of friend I’d jump up and down with when something big happens. For now, I’ll celebrate with my dogs a

It was Saturday morning and I was driving from Peekskill to South Salem, NY. My daughter slept over at her grandparents’ house and I was headed to pick her up. It was summer, hot and sunny out, about mid-morning. My friend drove behind me and briefly stopped for gas. I was going straight, with traffic in a flow of about 45 mph. When I approached a dealership (on the right), I saw a vehicle signaling to turn from the other lane. I kept going, as I had the right of way. Bam! Wi

Have you ever heard someone say, 'uh oh', now two more things are going to happen. They perceive bad things happening in a superstitious way, as though once the world started some shit with you, two more 'shits' were coming. Inevitably, this weird cycle is another type of self fulfilling prophecy, if one believes in such things. Whatever. It was a Thursday, like any other, my plan was book editing and writing, then a nap and painting through the evenings movies and X-Files wi

So, originally, the Escape Key was going to be three books. The other day, my daughter (who reads constantly) suggested I simply put it all into one, big, juicy novel. I went into editing mode and used copies of things to see what it would look like and, I agree with my kid! I think one big, delicious book might be much better for my readers! That way, instead of being forced to wait a year between each, which means you forget and have to either re-read a book or hope you'll

by Holly B. Hansen, Midway My bike atop Memorial Hill, facing the mountain I can't find. A Birthday Surprise This past May for my birthday, my husband got me a green ‘RAD’ eBike from a shop in Switchback Sports (Heber). I gladly posed for pictures and then stashed it. There it sat, neglected in our garage. Overcoming Hesitation “Don’t you like your bike?” he asked early one day as I got my coffee, half asleep. I jolted awake, feeling instant guilt. “I do love it, but… I do

It's Wednesday, October 8th, 2025 and Holly finds herself caught in a whirlwind of creativity, hyperfocus and chaos. While editing her...