Author Archives: Mary Fran Says

About Mary Fran Says

I am an artist, crafter, designer and writer. I enjoy working with mixed media-- applying visual and tactile manipulations to telling a story. Not a lot of market for that, though, :), so I'm focusing on short story submissions and novel completions. Yes, plural. Lots of beginnings, too many ideas, not enough focus.

Table of Safety

Posted on July 13, 2020

At my house, we have this thing we call the Table of Safety. Officially, it’s our dining room table, where we sit each morning reading the paper, scrolling the internet, and eating our breakfast. Unofficially, it’s anywhere we need to … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me, It's all about You | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

White Board Worthy

Posted on July 6, 2020

I’ve recently returned from a writers’ retreat and was thinking about what words of writing wisdom I could share with my Monday blog readers . . . but then I realized our highlights are NSFW. My friends do not, and … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me, It's all about You, Sure it's funny now, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This is my 443rd week of posts!

Posted on June 29, 2020

I came across an old blog post the other day and it inspired me to update it. It’s from January 28, 2013 and titled MaryFranniversary. It celebrates a FULL year, 52 weeks, of Monday blogs. I was pretty proud of … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

DeKalb Weird

Posted on June 22, 2020

Some of you are probably thinking, about time, right? And others are like, what? A quick refresher–whenever I travel, I try to keep track of things that I experience that are new and/or different for me. You know, anything that … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Change is good, right?

Posted on June 15, 2020

                    I came across this photo the other day and decided it was particularly timely.  Taken on my sixth birthday in October, 1972, it’s my friends and I posing for a … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me, It's all about You | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Melting

Posted on June 8, 2020

A shout out to MY PEEPS! To the ladies in that mature stage of life between puberty and death. Fair Warning: This post is not for the young, physically squeamish, or well, guys, I guess. Although the latter might learn … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

This is a test. This is only a test.

Posted on June 1, 2020

I’m struggling with words this morning. My predictably regular Monday morning thoughts are randomly escaping me. I’m sure I’m not alone in this disconnectedness. Chaos: When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Honor and Respect

Posted on May 25, 2020

It’s been a rough many weeks of sheltering in place. This date marks the SEVENTY-SIXTH day for those of us in Illinois. Just another day. Maybe a Monday? Who knows?! It hardly seems like a holiday. For the record: IT … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidaze | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Doing my part.

Posted on May 18, 2020

As you probably know, I’ve been working on the sequel to A Stranger’s Child for almost two years now. It’s been slow going…a false start (that part will be book three), personal stuff, and the unexpected deaths of friends and … Continue reading →

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Life is just a Bowl of Creamers!

Posted on May 11, 2020

Last Monday, I blogged about the little things I was missing… Like unlimited refills and a bowl of coffee creamers on the table. The next day, I received a surprise package from Amazon– A BOX OF FLAVORED CREAMERS! The note … Continue reading →

Posted in It's all about me, It's all about You | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments