Amy Hill Hearth - Amy's Blog: Born to Write

Mom's Special Christmas, Circa 1931

December 16, 2015

My mom, who is 90, was reminiscing recently about Christmas during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

There wasn't much in the way of gifts. Matter of fact, there wasn't much in the way of food.

Daily life was usually a struggle. Grandpa became a scavenger, coming home with fruit that had been discarded by Read More

The Five Topics Which Used to be Off-Limits (and, Maybe, Should Still Be?)

November 19, 2015

Social media seems to bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. We’ve all noticed that some people use Facebook, for example, in a positive way while others become weirdly competitive, snarky, or even abusive.

Not long ago there was an unspoken rule that certain topics were, quite simply, Read More

A Novel's Character Talks to a Wild Bird: Peculiar, or Charming?

November 4, 2015

Do you ever talk to wild birds or animals (or critters, as we say in the South)?

I thought this was an unusual hobby until I was in Florida last week, when I flat-out asked people. I was surprised at the number – one out of every ten, I would venture to guess – who raised Read More

Dogs Can Teach Us How to Live

October 21, 2015

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love dogs. My current dog is a very small Boston Terrier named Miss Dot, who serves as my writing companion when she isn’t busy telling me what to do.

To me, a house does not feel like a home without a dog. When Read More

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The Upside (and Downside) of a Protected Childhood

October 7, 2015

We came home from church and were still in our Sunday best. My two older brothers raced upstairs to change. Mom headed for the kitchen. My sister and I were in the living room with Dad when he turned on the TV to check the news – not a habit in our family, but then again, the previous few days had been unlike any others. Read More