People often ask me why I live in Maryland. My answer is, always, because it’s home. It’s been my home all my life. I raised my children here, and they live here still. My grandchildren are here. My career has given me the opportunity to travel all over the country, and to see so much beauty. But nowhere pulls at me like Maryland.

I love the colors of Maryland. The lush green of summer, the stunning quilt of tones and hues in fall, the white blankets of winter, and the hopeful pinks and yellows of spring. I’m charmed and comforted by the rolling hills, thick woods and tidy small towns.

As a writer, Maryland gives me so many canvases to paint stories on — my own little corner, or the dreamy blue of the bay, the neighborhoods and bustle of Baltimore, the little water towns of the Eastern Shore.

We have Camden Yards and the Chesapeake. We have the mountains and the shore — and the best crab cakes in the country. From winding country lanes that are green tunnels of dappled shade in the summer to the crowds and excitement of the Inner Harbor — with everything in between — it’s right here, in Maryland.

So first and last, for me, Maryland is home.