Museum Mile Festival
6 June 2026–Museumsmeilenfest, Bonn Germany Visit the rainforest, take a side-trip to the African savanna, or enjoy a snack in the beautiful garden! Bonus: Got readers ages 9 to 12? I’m bringing my zany fairy tales, perfect for expat families! We’re planning a fun and free activity for kids ages 9 to 12! #TopSecret Here […]
A new, world-wide, Indie Bookstore!
Very excited to share that my book has joined the Indie Author Bookstore, a new indie-focused bookstore featuring thousands of books. It means a lot to see independent authors getting this kind of spotlight. If you’re looking for your next read, come take a look! Readers — if you’re tired of seeing the same books […]
Easter Craft Fair with Local Artists
22 March 2026 Easter Market, Alfter-Oedekoven (near Bonn) Germany Next Sunday, bring the whole family to a charming craft fair just outside Bonn, Germany–local artists, tasty local bratwurst, coffee & cake–what’s not to like? Bonus: Got readers ages 9 to 12? I’m bringing my zany fairy tales, perfect for expat families! Here are the details: […]
Passport to Castles in Germany
Find out about a passport your kids can enjoy while your family discovers the beautiful castles of the MIddle Rhine Valley in Germany! There’s also a free onlline tool to create a coat of arms. (You’ve been meaning to update your family’s coat of arms, haven’t you??) Come explore the area that inspired my Seven Kingdoms Fairy Tale books for ages 9 to 12.
When you tell a Roman that Rome is dangerous
Time travel to 1919 in Rome Gesturing to the beautiful case of pastries and sandwiches, I tried to pay a compliment. “Roma é pericoloso!” I said to the barista in the tiny, elegant Sciascia Caffe in Rome. I was practicing my limited, present-tense-only Italian. Technically, that was probably the wrong adjective ending, but the barista […]
7 Reasons Why “There’s not a moment to be lost”
Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander is an epic series and a snapshot of the creative process.
We make art and seek discoveries in the world around us out of a desire to be moved out of ourselves and a desire to share what we are with others. A story about a friendship between very different people, like Stephen Maturin and Jack Aubrey, can be the seed of many friendships. A story is a created experience, but it’s also a question: “Can you see it?”
Beauty is as ephemeral as life. We need our whole lives to find our way through or around the obstacles that separate us.
What we make is imperfect, but we have a chance at butterflies and lightning bolts. Keep your nets open. Keep your pen moving. Capture the snowflakes.
As Captain Aubrey says: “There is not a moment to be lost.”
It’s a Pilgrim Life
You can’t be a pro the first time you try something new. That’s a repeated theme in my middle grade books, but I’m still learning it! In September, I tried to hike on a famous pilgrimage route–Via Francigena. I thought it was going to work, because I got an excessively-detailed guidebook from the library, set low expectations for how far we could walk, made hotel and train reservations, and kind of expected the weather to cooperate. Because it was Italy. Read about my #PilgrimFail.
Past Adventures: Stories of Immigration
For many people, Bremerhaven was the gateway to a new life in the new world. © Laurel Decher, 2015. What did it feel like to go to America to make a new life? My family and I visited the German Emigration Museum in northern Germany. The museum is in Bremerhaven, literally “Bremen’s harbor”, so there […]
Time Travel to Revolutionary America
Book 4–The newest Kep Westguard Adventure comes out Sept 19, 2025! Book 3 Book 2 Book 1 The newest Kep Westguard adventure comes out Sept 19, 2025! Get your copy now! In honor of the newest time-traveling adventure to Revolutionary America, we have author, Eileen Schnabel for a fun interview! These exciting upper middle grade […]
Darcy Pattison’s excellent new book for Children’s Book Authors
If you’ve ever thought about publishing a children’s book, you will probably be interested in this new project from the gracious and creative and super smart publisher, Darcy Pattison. She’s finally bringing us the long-promised book full of strategies and insights, a.k.a. secrets for success. I can’t wait to “back” this project on “Kickstarter”. (If that’s Greek to you, don’t worry, read this post 🙂
Kickstarter
Ready for a Reading Adventure? Follow project on Kickstarter! Here’s a glimpse of Books 1 + 2! Book 3 is in the works! Table of Contents An Exciting New Project For Young Readers We’re working on an exciting new project (on Kickstarter–more about that in a moment)! Shiny 2nd editions are under construction! We’re looking […]
How To Make A Tiny Edition Of A Book
Making a tiny book come out correctly is a bit tricky! Here’s how I finally got the pages to print in the right order for the first book in my series for ages 9 to 12. If you are interested in a bit of amateur bookbinding, you might enjoy the challenge.