Finding community through book clubs

With the holidays (and my birthday) fast approaching, I was tasked with making a wish list to give to family, and like many people, my list contained books. I love to read, and I know I’m not alone in wanting to discuss what I read with people, so I decided to look into how to […]

Self-publishing and self-marketing

This week I finished the first draft of my next book, which is the good and bad news. It’s good news because I’m one step closer to publishing my next book, but it’s bad news because now I have to edit and market my own work. Now, listen, I edit and market my work all […]

Shop local in your community

Summer has officially come to an end, and with it ends vendor-event season. That’s not to say there aren’t events all year, but outdoor farmers markets and artisan markets are primarily summer happenings. Since I’m a self-published author, I love attending these types of events as a vendor. One of my favorite things about the […]

Brandon Distinguished Alumni Class of 2024

On September 26, two Brandon graduates will be inducted into the Ed and Diane Donaldson Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame. In 2015, the Brandon School District introduced the wall of fame, named after Ed and Diane Donaldson, who were both educators in the district for many years. The project honors alumni for their exemplary service […]

Be kind to your local writers and editors

I was surprised the other day when my husband Kyle walked into the living room with his phone in his hand and said, “September is ‘Be Kind to Writers and Editors’ month.” He then got me a drink from the kitchen and let me pick what to watch on TV, which I thought was very […]

The Miracle of giving back to our troops

This week I got an email from the Ortonville Historical Society about an upcoming farmers market and the packing of Miracle Boxes for overseas troops. For anyone who doesn’t know, Miracle Boxes are named for Brandon graduate PFC Joseph Miracle. He was part of the 173rd Airborne, and at 22 years old, he gave his […]

What it means to be a Citizen

Over the seven years I’ve been at The Citizen, I have had the honor of meeting many incredible people who give back to their community in many different ways. And every year around this time, those same people get talked about for prestigious community awards. Not only is The Citizen seeking nominations for our Citizen […]

Therapy dogs make everything better

I love my job. There are many reasons I love my job, but the highlight of my week has been periodic texts with photos of puppies from the Brandon School District Superintendent Carly Stone. In fact, almost every conversation I’ve had with Stone over the last few months has ended up being about dogs and […]

Pet-friendly is people-friendly

When this column comes out, the Ortonville Downtown Development Authority and resident girl scout Madi Waatti will be unveiling the new pet-friendly initiative during the Farmers Market. I have to say, I’m a fan of this initiative. I love dogs, and having a dog friendly downtown is great for pet owners. I see several dogs […]

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