Twenty years ago, I awoke from a coma in the I.C.U. For a week, I had relied on a respirator to support my life as heavy doses of antibiotics were pumped into my body. An open incision ran vertically across my stomach, they never closed it for fear that they might have to operate again. While in a coma, I missed my husband’s 40th birthday. … Continue reading A Mountain Climbed
The tightrope walker gingerly takes one step at a time, Below him, cities are bombed by missiles launched from far and wide, The children cry for their fathers who were left behind, The mothers clutch their children and wonder where their futures lie. The tightrope walker takes another step as the rope beneath him shakes, His divided country judges every step and for him to … Continue reading Ukraine
Ideas spill into my brain like rain. Some take seed, while others are blown in the wind. Sometimes I write a page or two before metaphorically putting away the pen. Others are captured as a title on a note in my phone. But the only ones that become novels, are the ones I can’t let go. Finding those gems are rare. I wrestle with my … Continue reading All The Books I Did Not Write
As I try to declutter my house once again, I think of how much I’ve collected over the years. They are mementos of my life. Photographs, handmade cards, baby items, antiques I’ve collected, an array of jewelry, etc. And then there are the boxes that sit in my closet and basement. They are filled with mementos of my mother’s life and my mother-in-law’s life. My … Continue reading A Life in a Box
1. What were some of the most emotional parts of the book for you? 2. What did you take away from this book that is relevant to our world/society today? 3. Were you interested right from the start of the novel or was it a slow burn? 4. Were there any standout words of wisdom that made you pause and think about your own life? … Continue reading Discussion Questions for The Bayman’s Daughter
We are taught that humans have basic physical needs in order to sustain life: air, water, food, shelter, and warmth. It has been my experience that there are also basic emotional needs that are necessary in order to sustain a healthy relationship. As an author when I am developing characters for my novels, relationships have to be explored, developed, and, in some cases, sustained. The … Continue reading Basic Needs
Build me a castle with walls so deep, Then I won’t have to hear all the anger. Build it on a high mountain so steep, Then I won’t have to see all the suffering. Surround it with a great moat so wide, Then I won’t have to feel so much fear. Arm it with strong mighty guards inside, Then I won’t have to feel so … Continue reading Castle
Imagine going back in time, one hundred years, from 2012 to 1912, and then living through the years in-between, knowing what will occur. A young man will have to leave behind, his parents, brothers, friends, and the life he knew in 2012 in order to find the woman he is destined to live his life with in 1912. When an old man tells him that … Continue reading The Bayman’s Daughter by Theresa Dodaro
Her name was Regina and she was the first woman whose story inspired me to write The Porcelain Doll. She once worked in the main office of my children’s elementary school. Every year, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, she volunteered at The Edwards’ Homestead in Sayville for their Christmas open house. Regina would tell visitors about her childhood in Germany. Surrounded by spinning advent pyramids … Continue reading The Women Behind The Porcelain Doll: My Inspiration
Being a writer is one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced. Although writing has become as essential to me as breathing, it has also become a formidable mountain to climb. On one hand, there are my wonderful readers. Thank God for them! They truly make all the hours, days, months, and years of writing worthwhile. But on the other hand, there has become … Continue reading Becoming Better
Theresa Dodaro (Author) 