inspirational writer and pod designer
Barbara Casey
My name is Barbara Casey. In June 2015, I turned 70 (next milestone birthday is June of 2025). I didn’t want to be an “elderly” seventy-year-old, so I’ve been challenging myself over the years to keep up with new trends, thought-provoking ideas and broader perspectives.
I’ve documented some of this in my review of Chris Guillebeau’s book The Happiness of Pursuit.
Over the past thirty years, I’ve been a tutorial writer with 3 Kindle books and many online how-to articles. Since 2001, I’ve curated and written resources for spiritual entrepreneurs – on Squidoo, HubPages and multiple blogs. Between 1995 and 2002 I published 5 editions of The Metaphysical and Holistic Florida Directory, wrote a marketing newsletter from 2003 to 2009 and conducted numerous teleclasses that were converted to PDF e-books.
I have two Zazzle print on demand shops to augment Social Security, but my main love is writing, reading, and reviewing really good books. So I’ve gathered all my writings from their various temporary homes and herded them back to my own site, under my own banner.
I hope you find something of value during your browsing adventures.
The Long Way Home by Louise Penny
My review of The Long Way Home - Louise Penny's 10th book in the Chief Inspector Gamache series Many readers of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache/Three Pines books don’t know what to make of the 10th installment in the series, The Long Way Home. Some found the...
Aubrey-Maturin Series Reading Order
The Aubrey-Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian... with Reading Order List Master and Commander is the first book in Patrick O'Brian's wonderful 21-book historical fiction series known as the "Aubrey-Maturin Series." It is also the name of the adventure movie with Russel...
Great American Cookies Cookbook
Great American Cookies - A Vintage Cookbook That's Worth Republishing My favorite recipe books are now considered "vintage." I cannot imagine why Lorraine Bodger's Great American Cookies hasn't been reprinted, but the only versions I've found are dated 1985 (the one I...
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon – Book Review
Our book club loved Outlander by Diana Gabaldon... and then read the rest in the series, like I did (for the second time) I re-read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander for our book club... and got so caught up in the story again, that I devoured the entire series - for the...
“Simple Suppers” Cookbook Review
New vegetarian in search of a cookbook Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers As a fairly new vegetarian, I'm always on the lookout for cookbooks that don't make me feel like a culinary idiot, but that also reflect my cooking style and talents: simple and basic....
A Discovery of Witches Book Review
"A Discovery of Witches" - Book 1 of the All Souls Trilogy In A Discovery of Witches, author Deborah Harkness presents a plausible story of the relationships between the three (sub)species of witch, vampire and daemon... including their battles and their loves. I'm...
How to Make Music Notes with Text Fonts
Musical notes and characters you can make with common text fonts: Courier, Arial, Times New Roman Here are the Windows keyboard symbols for Alt Key, Unicode and HTML formats. If you're using the Alt Key symbols, you'll need to use your numerical keypad with Numlock...
Make Dingbats and Arrows with Text Fonts
It's easy to make dingbats and arrows with text fonts. Easily create fun graphics, including hearts and smiley faces... with Arial and Times New Roman. If you need some cool bullets, arrows and other Dingbat style graphics, but you don't have the Wingding or Zapf...
Make French, German and Spanish Accents
List and Instructions for Making French, German and Spanish Accented Letters on Your Computer Keyboard Hold down the Alt key, then type in 0 (zero), followed by the last three numbers - using the numeric keypad on the right of your keyboard. Then you can let up the...
Keyboard Symbols List and Instructions
How to Make Keyboard Symbols Using Alt Key, HTML and Unicode Characters Here is a handy list of Alt Key, HTML and Unicode symbols you can make with standard text fonts on your computer keyboard with how-to instructions to make it easy. It helps if you have a numeric...
Upcoming Readings & Events
Jun 22nd
Divi Bookstore
San Francisco, CA @ 6:30pm
Live Reading
Join Brooklyn Simmons for an exclusive live reading of her latest novel, Sunrise Serenade. Experience the magic of her words as she brings the characters to life, offering a glimpse into the heart of the story. This intimate event is a perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of her books and connect with other fans.
Jun 22nd
Monarch Books
Los Angeles, CA @ 7:15pm
Book Signing
Don’t miss the chance to meet Brooklyn Simmons in person at her upcoming book signing event. Bring your favorite novels for a personalized autograph and a brief chat with the author herself. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to her work, this event promises to be a memorable experience for all.
Aug 31st
Bloom Binding
Brooklyn, NY @ 6pm
Writing Workshop: Crafting Your Story
Discover the art of storytelling in a hands-on writing workshop led by Brooklyn Simmons. In this interactive session, participants will learn techniques for developing compelling characters, crafting vivid scenes, and finding their unique voice. Whether you’re an aspiring writer or looking to hone your skills, this workshop offers valuable insights and practical tips to help you bring your stories to life.