The Holiday (A Movie Review) (Yes, I Know It’s an Old Movie)
Let me say, for the record, I am not a huge fan of Christmas movies. My favorites are While You Were Sleeping, The Ref, and Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol. The trailer for The Holiday was at the end of another film I’d recently watched (Blue Smoke, a Lifetime movie made from my favorite ever Nora Roberts book). […]
Water Hazards
Back in the 1990s (I think), several office building complexes were built in the suburbs. They are beautiful spaces. Most of the companies who built them are long gone, but their legacies remain. The landscaping is gorgeous, too. There is usually a pond or some other water feature, I guess to contribute to the calmness […]
Thanksgiving Gratitudes
Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the US, I thought I’d share some of the entries from my Gratitude pages in my planner. Being retired from a day job so I can be available when family members need me. My health. I see so many people beset by illness, and I am overall healthy. Living […]
Adventures in Home Ownership
We recently replaced the floor in my kitchen and downstairs pathroom. Out with the Congoleum (so tough to keep clean!) and in with vinyl plank flooring. Although I miss my white floor to keep the kitchen brighter (I lost 12″ of glass when we replaced the windows several years ago, I did choose something light […]
The Importance of Early Sandra Bullock Movies
I recently rewatched two of my three favorite Sandra Bullock movies: Miss Congeniality and Practical Magic. (The third one, While You Were Sleeping, needs to wait a month or so. Christmas/New Years’ Eve, you know.) All three are oldies but goodies. The thing that struck me about both of these movies is that there was no […]
Apple Pickin’ Time
I think late September through early-to-mid-October is my favorite time of year. The days alternate between soft and crisp. The soft ones are overcast, maybe foggy or rainy, and temperate. Crisp days are bright and hard, with vivid blue skies and sharply colored leaves that turn luminescent on the soft days. On the first official […]
The Ever-Moving Diner
Years ago, my husband took me to brunch at a particular diner in downtown because he thought I would like the name. Let’s just say it was because I was writing my werewolf books at the time. The diner moved to Wolf Street here in the city. I never made it to that location, but […]
Finally! A New Book Release!
Years in the making! It’s finally available for sale! I’m very excited about the first full-length novel in my Write Place Retreat series. Snowed In: Heat Rises will release on Thursday, 9/4/25 whereever ebooks are sold. Links to purchase are on my website: www.mjcompton.com. The paperback version is also available. A snowstorm, a scandal, and […]
My Current Relationship…With Food
Since I retired from my corporate Day Job, my relationship with food has changed, especially when it comes to lunch. Lunch was frequently provided at work. Or I brown-bagged it. Or I ran out to grab something to eat at my desk. There were several places nearby that accommodated that strategy. I knew many of […]
Creepy Poetry For 6th Graders
When I was a child, my mom used to read poetry to us, especially from an orange book that had been a sixth grade school book published in 1927. My sister took it when her son was young and read to him from it; I “inherited” it when my children were young. (My daughter has […]