Hope Darby Writings

As promised, though dreadfully late, here is the story of my favorite childhood Fourth of July. As a kid growing up in an Air Force family, few things were as important as family, country, freedom, respect, and independence. The Fourth of July was a huge celebration of all those ideals and qualities rolled into one, thus making it a natural favorite for everyone.   _________________________________________   The deafening roar of USAF Thunderbirds casting intricate jet trails across a cornflower... Continue to Full Post →

    Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!!!!!!!   As the daughter of a veteran, the Fourth is a pretty darn impressive day. When I have time later today, I’ll come back to post the story of my favorite childhood Fourth of July. The story involves jet engines, Lee Greenwood, and throngs of people. Sounds fun, no?   See? That’s a hook. heh  Read More →

Growing up in a Southern family is pretty much a guarantee of growing up with odd sayings. Hailing from Alabama, as I do, doubles that guarantee and adds a side of grits. I’ve been a smart-aleck, sass-mouth and too big for my britches, more times than I can count, beginning from the time I was knee high to a fire ant. For you non-Southerners, that all translates to, “I had a smart mouth even as a small child.”   You have to admit, the Southern-style is much more entertaining.   My... Continue to Full Post →

Today marks 3 years that my oh-so-wonderful and tolerant husband has put up with my vagaries, temper, goofiness, dorkiness, moodiness, scatterbrained behavior and ranting vents about the world in general. He has never failed to be all that is supportive, encouraging, tolerant, and loving…while still giving me the return fire that I need from time to time.   I consider my world considerably brightened and my life exponentially improved, just for having him in it.   I love you very much, sweetie.  Read More →

“You’ve never been to Ireland before, have you?”   Startled out of her daydreams, Clarissa glanced up and met the pale green eyes of the man standing in front of her. He was smiling, and his face was a map of laugh lines and freckles.   She smiled and answered, “No, I haven’t. How did you know that?”   With a grin, the man glanced at the “Beauty of Ireland” guidebook resting on the table in front of her, where it had fallen open somewhere in the middle, forgotten as she had slipped... Continue to Full Post →

  HUNTINGTON BEACH – Colby Curtin, a 10-year-old with a rare form of cancer, was staying alive for one thing – a movie.   From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.   After a family friend made frantic... Continue to Full Post →

I just turned in my latest bit of write-for-hire, and I must say that I can’t wait to see it in print. Yeah, I know, what an odd desire for a writer to have! This time it’s a little different, though. A friend of mine, a brilliantly creative editorial type recommended me for a book-review article, and I leaped at it with graspy hands and more thank-yous than I care to confess to in the bright light of day.   It was fantastic, because I had to read books that I would have typically passed... Continue to Full Post →

I’ve spent the last couple of days revamping the entire site, from front page to blog and back around again…and let me tell you, there are few things more frustrating than learning how to code on command. It’s almost as impossible as finding depth in Ashanti’s poetry. In case you don’t know what I mean by that, watch this video: Enough said.  Read More →

Normally, I do everything I can to “fight the machine” when it comes to the decline of paper publishing. I buy actual newspapers, real books, and still keep paper journals. But even I have to admit that there is a neverending supply of absolutely phenomenal reading resources on the internet; who would I be to deprive anyone of terrific sites when I come across them?   NewPages.com proclaims “Good Reading Starts Here,” and I can’t help but agree. Check them out, I guarantee... Continue to Full Post →

Thank you, Sharon! Now to stem the laughter…and wish these books really existed… (original posting at OnMyList.com)   Um, fair warning, these aren’t exactly Rated G!                      Read More →