Why am I attracted to the Shadow? Why am I not afraid of the dark side of the human psyche? Why am I comfortable listening to people reveal their ugliest thoughts about themselves? It’s because I have a Shadow side. It’s been alive and well for nearly my whole life. My parents added to it … Continue reading Befriending My Shadow with the Tarot Lady
When I’m writing alone in my home office, I often wonder if my work has an impact on anyone besides myself. You see, I don’t just write for myself, I write to communicate with people. I think the same thing about the Fear & Writing workshops I teach and my online course under the same … Continue reading You Never Know How Your Work Will Impact Others
I’ve been a full-time writer for 40 months. It feels like both a long time and like time has passed by in a flash. It’s an oxymoron, isn’t it? But then, so many of the past months have felt like an oxymoron. By the way, Merriam-Webster defines oxymoron as “a word or group of words … Continue reading 4 Mind-blowing Things I Discovered by Being a Full-time Writer
I was all set to write about the top 10 things no one tells you about being a full-time writer when I was hit with a Universe Wake-Up Call. So, you know I had to switch gears and tell y’all about it. I applied for a job. Full-time. 9 to 5. Monday through Friday. Yep, … Continue reading I Applied for a Job and the Universe Said, Hell No
I will retire as a millionaire. Now before you start getting ideas that I come from a rich family, I’ve received a huge inheritance, or I’ve won the Lotto, let me quash that right now. None of those things are true. In fact, my average salary over the span of my working life has been … Continue reading Top 10 Things I Did Right with My Money
This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Klein, freelance editor extraordinaire. Julie and I met in 2015 through the Northwest Editors Guild when I was searching for an editor for my middle-grade novel, THE CONTENDERS. I emailed three editors that I found through the guild and received sample edits and estimates from two … Continue reading Interview with Editor Julie Klein
This month, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sandra Evans, author of the delightful middle-grade novel, THIS IS NOT A WEREWOLF STORY. Sandy and I met through our mutual friend, the writer Tamiko Nimura, who knew we both wrote middle-grade novels and thought we might hit it off. She was right. The first time I … Continue reading Interview with Author Sandra Evans
I’ve been avoiding writing about my querying process in hopes that I’d have something positive to tell you. But, I can’t keep avoiding it. So, here’s the short of it. I’ve been rejected by every agent I’ve contacted. The longer story is I started querying agents to represent my suspense novel, Doc and the Seven, … Continue reading Querying is Not for the Weak
Another new year has started, and unlike most new years in my life, I feel no desire to set any goals. 2017 started this trend. That was the first year when I didn’t set any goals. None. It was a very hard year. All I could do was get up, shower, and get through the … Continue reading Only Two Desires for 2019
I read 55 books in 2018. They’re listed below in the order in which I read them, and I only included books that I finished. As I did in 2017, I picked the Top 10 books that I especially enjoyed and/or changed me for the better, and these books are in bold. * = I’ve read … Continue reading Books I Read in 2018 (and the book that changed my life)
