
- From the Fairfield Ledger. Caption reads: George’s Pizza and Steakhouse waitress Danielle Soltis, left, poses with Oprah Winfrey and customer Don Hubbs late Wednesday afternoon outside the restaurant after the television personality surprised downtown Fairfield with a trip to Cafe Paradiso for a quick cup of coffee. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh it’s Oprah,’” said Soltis, “and she gave us a hug.” Soltis and her husband Tom asked Oprah for a picture, and she asked if they had a camera. Tom Soltis quickly snapped the photo with a cell phone.
So after my initial shock over Oprah practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) in my old hometown, I looked for news coverage of the event. It was picked up by the Associated Press and the Chicago Tribune. I found a short piece in The Huffington Post, and a great article on Yahoo: Voices. But my favorite media coverage by far is the article in the hometown paper, The Fairfield Ledger.
Back when I was first began researching Maharishiville, my novel based on Fairfield, I used to get the paper mailed out of state to my home. (I even culled a couple of quirky plot points from actual riffs between “Townies” and “Roos” — short for gurus). I love the local paper. You can’t beat it for the details that provide a true sense of how news unfolds in a small town. Reading the Ledger feels like going home again.
To read the entire article about Oprah’s visit you need an online subscription, but I will share a few paragraphs for you (as written by Ledger staff writer Diane Vance): Continue reading

Okay, I’ll admit it. From time to time (like seeing this picture of myself) I’ve been tempted to try Botox. I haven’t, mostly because I could never get past the fear that someday, some study is going to prove that injecting a form of botulism is just not a good idea. Well, that day is here. Although the findings aren’t what I expected.
February 1 was a significant day for me (and not because it’s the start of my birthday month, though I hope it proves lucky). It’s the day I began to query agents about my novel,
The title may be The Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path, but the message is appropriate for anyone endeavoring to create anything (be it a manuscript or a change in life).


