The Magic Nation Gift Shop is open!

The Magic Nation Gift Shop is Open!

No, not a brick and mortar store—my latest book is open and ready to read!

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The Magic Nation Gift Shop has been living in the “playground of my mind” for at least 40 years.

It all began one day in 1977 when I visited the counselor’s office at Walnut Hills High School. I went to inquire about a very talented and gifted student in my Junior English class. I wanted to move her to the advanced class which I also taught.

I sat patiently in a comfortable chair across from a huge bookcase. The counselor had a collection of various items, all placed there to lift the spirits of her many students. Among the items—a candy dish filled with peppermints, a blooming Christmas cactus, self-help books and college guides-- was a can labelled, “Florida Sunshine.” As I waited for my colleague to return from lunch, I began to imagine the contents of that can and its possibilities.

That evening, I wrote “Canned Sunshine.”

The story sat in my drawer until I purchased a personal computer in the 1980s. One summer afternoon, I typed it and saved it on a floppy disc. Floppy discs went the way of 8 track tapes and the disc still sat there.

Over the years, I’ve had at least five computers. I kept transferring that story from one to another. One afternoon in the late 1990s, my son decided to organize the files in our Gateway. He moved the story to “Mom’s Stuff,” along with various letters and poems I had written.

“’Mom’s Stuff’ needs more stories,” he said.

I kept writing. The Magic Nation Gift Shop was conceived.