My Interests: A to Z

A is for AMAZON

Fancy Letter A by opheliasart


I've always loved books, so reviewing books for Amazon was a perfect fit for me. I have over 1,100 reviews posted on Amazon and am ranked in the top 200 reviewers for the site. Here are some of my book lenses on Squidoo from individual book reviews to favorite authors and book lists I've compiled.

Favorite Books for Children

These are available on Amazon.

Booklists I've Made

All the books are available on Amazon.

A is for AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA by DejaVu_Images

I lived in Alice Springs, Australia, for three and a half years. It was wonderful and I love the country and the people of Australia.

B is for BIRDS

Monogram Mug "B" with Crown and Birds by pauletteparis


When we moved to Florida, I could finally take up bird watching. The birds there (herons, egrets, sandhill cranes, etc.) are big enough that even I could spot them. Now I take hundreds of photos of birds and Squidoo gives me a place to share those pictures.

C is for CHRISTMAS

Christmas Stories

Art PrintBrowning, Tom
Buy at AllPosters.com

December has always seemed like a magical time of year for me. I love the lights, the gifts, the parties, family and friends... everything (except the shopping).

D is for DISNEY

All You Need is Pixie Dust
Art PrintBuy at AllPosters.com


We live just south of Kissimmee and have an annual pass for Disney World. We look forward to our excursions to Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom.

E is for eHOW

I wrote over 400 how-to articles for the eHow site. The residual income from this writing was pretty good. I averaged over $400 a month there. Unfortunately eHow changed its publishing set up, and that change sent me looking for a new writing venue. That's when I discovered Squidoo and all the fun one can have here. The site bought out my article library, so I no longer get residuals from them. Some of the articles are still there but without my byline.


Big E by MidnightOil

F is for FLORIDA

Florida retired by hikingviking

We moved to Florida seven years ago when I retired from my job as a library director. It's fabulous to live in a climate that allows you to be outside most of the time during the winter.

G is for GARDENING

Gothic Rose Monogram G by initials

I love puttering with plants. When traveling, I enjoy visiting historic gardens and botanical gardens.

G is for GENEALOGY

Silver Metallic G Monogram Invitation by CelticDreams

While helping arrange my mother's writing into several self-published books, I became interested in our family history. I've always been a history buff, and had a minor in that in college. Family history is frequently like a jigsaw puzzle that you are trying to piece together with some pieces missing.

G is for GOLF

Smiley Golf by sport_shop

We play golf four days a week during the winter. You would think that I'd play pretty well by now. Let's just say that my game is a work in progress. I have had a hole-in-one though!

H Is for HISTORY

Monogram Letter H Red Leaves by MonogrammedInitial


My minor in college was in history. I love learning more about different eras of history and what life was like long ago.

I is for IRISH

I've never traveled to Ireland, but I feel a special affinity for all things celtic. Several branches of my family tree link back to Ireland and someday I will go there to experience it for myself.

Ireland T-shirt by mazireland

K is for KANSAS

Kansas Wheat by okduster


I grew up in Kansas. Although I've lived elsewhere for the past 40 years, it has a special place in my heart.

L is for LOTS of things I LOVE

but couldn't fit into the alphabet

Wedding Hearts Letter L by White_Wedding


I love nature and birdwatching.

I'll add more odds and ends under this category as I think of them.
I love libraries.

Library Topics I've Covered

ALL ABOUT LIBRARIES by SchoolAids

Not satisfied with just book lenses, I branched out into library topics that drew on my career experience.

M is for MARTIN

my family name

Letter M monogram, personalize by Lynnes_creations


Here are lenses I've created about my parents and siblings.

New Hampshire and New England

New Hampshire Topics

O is for OUR ECHO

Monogram "O" by Cardgallery


The Our Echo website specializes in family memory writing. People do post poetry and essays on a variety of topics, but family memory pieces is the heart of the website. My mother, Gail Martin, is the assistant webmaster for the site. If you write something and post it on there, she'll put a comment on it. She reads everything.

Inkwell Art Print
Fabiano, Marco

Buy at AllPosters.com

I Love Photography

I'm Ready for Spring by vallain


This is a tulip photo that I took.

Q is for QUILTS

I love old quilts and vintage fabrics. For awhile I tried making quilts but didn't enjoy that nearly as much as discovering a very old quilt at a flea market.
Actually I'm fond of old fabrics from aprons to doilies, old lace too.

S is for SELF-PUBLISHING

Capital Letter S - Magnet by dchaddad


I've compiled and designed two books for my parents. These contain my mother's family memories that she recorded over the years and lots of family photos.

I use blurb.com which is a print-on-demand site.

V is for VALENTINES

Valentine Poem, Cupid with Umbrella
Art PrintBuy at AllPosters.com

I make valentines every February out of bits and pieces of lace and paper for my extended family. Over the years, I also collected vintage valentines with several dating back to the 1800s.

W is for WRITING

More of My Zazzle Creations

or Zazzlers that I have featured

This includes other Zazzle artists that I admire (the unicorn gallery and the dragon art).