My childhood in Eswatini, my published novels, and how I can help you… — I had a strange and wonderful childhood on a farm in Swaziland (now Eswatini), Southern Africa, where I spent many hours ranging barefoot over the countryside, ripping my home-sewn dresses on barbed wire fences, trying to rodeo-ride bull calves, tracking guinea fowl, throwing knives at tree trunks, learning to use…

In all my years of traveling, I’ve never once considered Bern, Switzerland, a must-see destination. But now I’m here and I can only say: put it on your bucket list. — We’re sitting in our room in the Hotel Savoy in the medieval city of Bern, taking the weight off our feet before we go out to dinner. The Savoy sounds fancy, but in reality, it’s quite minimalist — definitely not one of those places with a big plush lobby and…

Have you ever thought of pitching a novella or novel to Audible Original? Learn more about the process in this interview with Wendy Walker. — Wendy Walker writes psychological thrillers, including her best known title, All Is Not Forgotten. Her work has been translated into 23 languages, has topped bestseller lists numerous times, and has been optioned for TV and movies. And yet she recently wrote a novel exclusively for Audible Original.

I can’t believe the number of eyeballs I’ve managed to attract this month… — In June, my third month on Medium, I had around 2,500 total views and I was modestly pleased with myself. Then along came July and I wrote a couple of stories about my dog, Fergus, and his reaction to our new puppy, Jessie. For some reason, these stories took off…

Plus other peculiar things about life in the UK, from an outsider’s point of view — Obviously, the first thing you notice about England when you come from southern Africa — as I did, years ago — is the weather. I spent a holiday (vacation, if you’re American) with my family on a canal boat in the height of summer — and I’d never been so…

I cheat a little here and there, but on the whole I’ve been sticking to this diet for weeks and steadily losing weight. Here’s how… — Now that I’m in my 50s, I find it very difficult to lose weight. Nothing new about that — a lot of people experience the same thing. But a couple of years ago, I found the one diet that seems to work for me: keto. I’m sure most people are…

Luckily we all have wildly differing tastes, so there’s room for all flavors of writers on this platform… — Kristina God recently wrote an article introducing Medium’s Top 10 writers to the world. While the numbers show that these writers are hugely popular on the platform, I personally don’t read many of them. Of course, I always read anything Barack Obama has to say, and I’ve occasionally checked in…

And what Bouvier wouldn’t be? As everybody knows, a mini Bernedoodle weighing in at around two or three pounds is a very scary home invader… — We brought our newest family member home on Tuesday. (Read about the day she first met Fergus here.) She’s a miniature Bernedoodle, black, with barely visible white spots on her paws and her muzzle. The muzzle markings make her look as if she’s prematurely graying — as if old age…

Please excuse me as I wax rather darkly lyrical. I’m not naturally a pessimist, but there is something about midsummer that fills me with sadness. Born in the southern hemisphere, these northern winters have taught me some harsh lessons. — Winter is the one true season. Winter does not lie. Winter shows the skeletons beneath summer’s green glamor — shows us broken claws and scattered teeth and the hoary breath of world’s end. Winter’s frozen earth, too flinty for funerals, planks corpses for spring burials. Winter tolerates no pinkness, no…