The Magic of Creativity

In the enchanting realm of words, imagination dances with possibility. Creativity transforms mere sentences into magic. If there’s one truth that weaves through great storytelling, it’s the power of imagination. It transcends the ordinary, breathing life into characters and worlds that linger in the reader’s mind. Creating is the deepest form of intelligence. And I love it. I love putting … Read More

Creatively Standing Alone

Over the years, I’ve discovered most creatives feel like a round peg in a world of square holes. We’re the ones that chase rabbits in meetings trying to improve systems that have been in place for years. We’re the outliers who are challenged by the idea of a “status quo.”  We’d rather fail trying to be extraordinary than succeed in … Read More

Being a Recovering People-Pleaser

A memory popped up in my Facebook feed the other day about Asteria receiving honorable mention in The New York Book Festival. It seems like only yesterday, and yet a lifetime ago. The world has changed so much … as have I. For one thing, I no longer struggle with the disease to please, thank God. Being a people-pleaser is … Read More

In a Forgotten World

It’s suicide prevention week. I know, it’s a tough subject. One that most people would rather not discuss. But it’s becoming an epidemic in this country. As a teacher, my heart breaks when I hear that a former student has taken their life. And it’s happening more often. The question is, why? Numerous studies correlate excess social media exposure and … Read More

The Power of Purging

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed a post or two about my newsletter trials and tribulations. Long story short, I didn’t send newsletters during the pandemic, and because of that, most of my followers had become “inactive.” When I overrode those protocols to reach out to readers on the original list, my mail service sent … Read More

Recovering from the Pandemic

This past year has been one for the record books, especially for teachers. Scrambling to create virtual classrooms on the fly while dealing with food and technology disparities for our low socio-economic kiddos was, at times, overwhelming. Prolonged stress had left me burned out and bone-weary. Nothing, not even writing, could pull me from that infernal sense of detachment. My … Read More

Understanding Accountability

The dark events of this past week were so horrific that most people I know shy away from even discussing it. But I can’t ignore what happened–it feels disingenuous and wrong. Like most Americans, my heart broke as I watched an animalistic mob invade the seat of our democracy, the very symbol that countless brave men and women have died … Read More

The Danger of Ignorance

Last week, sweet Lucy, my fifteen-year-old pup, developed a limp that turned into her hobbling around on three paws. I called the vet, but they were booked, and so I contacted a clinic recommended by a friend that took walk-ins. A half an hour later and one town over, we pulled up to the little cement building. I’d been told … Read More

Sanity in the Storm

March 2020 officially goes under the “never would I ever” category of life. Never would I ever have thought I’d see a pandemic, nor the ravaging effects on what quarantining an entire nation does to the American psyche. When all this started I thought I’d found a silver lining in a storm cloud. Being forced to stay home meant having … Read More

Through the Eyes of an Editor

Before manuscripts morph into books, they go through several stages of development, which involves three or four different edits, depending on the work. If you’re new to the publishing world or you’ve never understood the editing process, I highly recommend watching this introductory video by the incredible Joanna Penn. The first, and, for me, the most important, is developmental editing, which … Read More