Review Team

Susan Wittig Albert
Coordinating Editor "NovaStar" Reviewer

In 1985, I left my career as a university professor and administrator and began working fulltime as a novelist and freelance writer. For the past 16 years, I've written the China Bayles herbal mysteries, and for the past five, a series of historical fantasies called The Cottage Tales, featuring Beatrix Potter. With my husband, Bill Albert, writing as Robin Paige, I coauthored a dozen historical mysteries set in Victorian-Edwardian England and over sixty books for young readers. I have also edited two anthologies for the Story Circle Network: With Courage and Common Sense (2004) and What Wildness Is This: Women Write about the Southwest (2007). I've also written nonfiction. In 1992, I published Work of Her Own, a study of women who left their careers, and in 1997, Writing From Life: Telling Your Soul's Story, for women memoirists. That book led to the founding of the Story Circle Network, which encourages women to write about their lives. I helped to create the first edition of the Story Circle Book Review website and am delighted to be involved in its relaunch. You can find out more about my work at my website and get a look into the life of a working writer by reading my blog. Bill and I have lived in the Texas Hill Country for over twenty years, with a varying assortment of cows, sheep, geese, ducks, chickens, pigs, dogs, and cats. Alexander, Kelly and Cynthia Harris. Hometown Appetites: The Story of Clementine Paddleford, the Forgotten Food Writer Who Chronicled How America Ate Alter, Judy. Cooking My Way through Life with Kids and Books Astyk, Sharon. Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front Astyk, Sharon. Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation Atwood, Margaret. Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth Baldwin, Christina. interview Barker, Barbara. Container Gardening for Health Bodman, Karna Small. Gambit Buyer, Laurie Wagner. Spring's Edge: A Ranch Wife's Chronicles Buyer, Laurie Wagner. When I Came West Cariou, Heather. interview Carpenter, Liz. Getting Better All the Time Carpenter, Liz. Ruffles and Flourishes: The Warm and Tender Story of a Simple Girl Who Found Adventure in the White House Carpenter, Liz. Unplanned Parenthood: The Confessions of a Seventy-Something Surrogate Mother Chittister, Joan. The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully Clark, Marilyn Snethen, Barbara Snethen Leonard, Carol Snethen Reed. Outside the Fence: Stories of an Army Officer's Kids and WWII POW Camps Conway, Jill Ker. When Memory Speaks: Reflections on Autobiography Counihan, Carole M. A Tortilla is Like Life: Food and Culture in the San Luis Valley of Colorado Counihan, Carol. interview Daum, Meghan. Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived in That House DeSalvo, Louise. Vertigo; Writing as a Way of Healing Diehn, Gwen. Real Life Journals: Designing & Using Handmade Books Drake, Barbara. interview Ehrlich, Elizabeth. Miriam's Kitchen Ehrlich, Gretel. A Match to the Heart: One Woman's Story of Being Struck by Lightning Flammang, Janet A. The Taste for Civilization: Food, Politics, and Civil Society Flatau, Susie Kelly. Counter Culture Texas Flatau, Susie Kelly. interview Freidberg, Susanne. Fresh: A Perishable History Garfield, Charles, Cindy Spring, Sedonia Cahill. Wisdom Circles: A Guide to Self-Discovery and Community Building in Small Groups Goldberg, Bonni. Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer's Life Harman, Patricia. The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife's Memoir Harman, Patricia. interview Hasselstrom, Linda M. Between Grass and Sky: Where I Live and Work Hasselstrom, Linda M. No Place Like Home: Notes from a Western Life Hasselstrom, Linda M., Gaydell Collier, and Nancy Curtis. Leaning Into the Wind: Women Write from the Heart of the West Hasselstrom, Linda. interview Hayes, Shannon. Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity From a Consumer Culture Heyhoe, Kate. Cooking Green: Reducing Your Carbon Footprint in the Kitchen Holstein, Dr. Barbara Becker. The Enchanted Self: A Positive Therapy Holstein, Barbara Becker. interview Hopper, Kippra D. and Laurie J. Churchill. Art of West Texas Women: A Celebration Horan, Nancy. Loving Frank Hudson, Kathleen. Women in Texas Music: Stories and Songs Isleib, Roberta. interview King, Sorrel. interview King, Ursula. The Search for Spirituality: Our Global Quest for a Spiritual Life Lappé, Anna. Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It Lear, Linda. Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature Legler, Gretchen. On the Ice: An Intimate Portrait of Life at McMurdo Station, Antarctica Lindbergh, Reeve. Forward from Here: Leaving Middle Age—and Other Unexpected Adventures Linnea, Ann. Deep Water Passage: A Spiritual Journey at Midlife Linnea, Ann. interview Linzer, Deborah Hansen. Cameo Life Stories: Writing Guide for Everywoman Lovejoy, Sharon. Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars: Grandma's Bag of Tricks Lydon, Susan Gordon. The Knitting Sutra: Thoughts on Handcrafts, Nature and Spirit Mairs, Nancy. A Dynamic God: Living an Unconventional Catholic Faith Mann, Reva. The Rabbi's Daughter McDonnell, Jane Taylor. Living to Tell the Tale Miller, Susan Cummins, editor. A Sweet, Separate Intimacy: Women Writers of the American Frontier Miller, Susan Cummins. interview Morgan, Deborah. interview Norris, Gunilla. Journeying in Place: Reflections from a Country Garden Norris, Gunilla. Simple Ways: Towards the Sacred Perry, Susan K., Ph.D. Writing In Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity Phillips, EJ. Woman: What She Has Done With Where She Has Been Raab, Diana M. Dear Anaïs: My Life in Poems for You Raab, Diana M. Regina's Closet: Finding My Grandmother's Secret Journal Raday, Sophia. Love in Condition Yellow: A Memoir of an Unlikely Marriage Ralston, Jeannie. interview Rehak, Melanie. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her Reichl, Ruth. Tender at the Bone Remmert, Donna. interview Rose, Phyllis. The Norton Book of Women's Lives Rowe, Kathleen. The Unruly Woman: Gender and the Genres of Laughter Schlosser, Katherine K., editor. The Herb Society of America's Essential Guide to Growing and Using Herbs Scot, Barbara J. Prairie Reunion Seale, Jan. interview Segalove, Ilene and Paul Bob Velick. List Your Self: Listmaking as the Way to Self-Discovery Shetterly, Susan Hand. Settled in the Wild: Notes from the Edge of Town Strasser, Judith. Black Eye: Escaping a Marriage, Writing a Life Stuever, Mary. The Forester's Log: Musings From the Woods Stuever, Mary. interview Terzian, Mary. The Immigrants' Daughter: A Private Battle to Earn the Right to Self-Actualization Tweit, Susan J. Walking Nature Home: A Life's Journey Tweit, Susan J. interview Van Gelder, Leslie. Weaving a Way Home: A Personal Journey Exploring Place and Story Weber, Lauren. In Cheap We Trust: The Story of a Misunderstood American Virtue Weimer, Joan. Awestruck: A Skeptic's Pilgrimage Wheeler, Robin. Food Security for the Faint of Heart: Keeping Your Larder Full in Lean Times Wildwind, Sharon Grant. Dreams that Blister Sleep: A Nurse in Vietnam Woodman, Marion. Leaving My Father's House: A Journey to Conscious Femininity Yost, Paula Stallings and Pat McNees, editors. My Words are Gonna Linger: The Art of Personal History Yost, Paula Stallings. interview Yost, Paula Stallings. interview Young, Carrie. Nothing to Do but Stay: My Pioneer Mother Zackheim, Victoria, editor. For Keeps: Women Tell the Truth About Their Bodies, Growing Older, and Acceptance Ziedrich, Linda. The Joy of Pickling