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

Practicing Gratitude

Every morning I wake with my brain already running full tilt. Thoughts race with everything from creating grocery lists to subplots I should add in the latest work in progress. It’s like my subconscious keeps working while I go to sleep. In college, I’d listen to whatever song I had to memorize before going to bed. In the morning, I’d … Read More

The Life We Choose

There are people in this world that light up a room when they enter it. They live so boldly, love so deeply, and have an ocean of compassion, so much so that it’s a joy just being around them. Ann was such a person. Fierce as a lion with a heart the size of Texas, she was a force all … Read More

Enough

Enough I’m so tired of hate. I’m tired of people excusing hate. I’m tired of people giving their loyalty to politicians that never earned their trust. I’m tired of lies. And conspiracy theories. And alternative facts. And willful ignorance. I’m tired of this damn virus stealing bright souls that served as beacons in this dark world. I’m tired of greed. … Read More

We Must Do Better

I once tried to pay for gas with counterfeit money. True story. It was years ago. I’d just taken the kiddos to one of those summer carnivals that had sprung up overnight in an old mall’s parking lot. The kids always loved to go, even though I wouldn’t let them ride the shoddy roller coasters. We went for the smaller … 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

The Heart of the Holidays

I love this time of year.  Writing, social media, and all things internet are put on the back burner. Great food is served with a heaping side of memories and camaraderie. We are a diverse bunch from various social classes and political views, but there’s a tacit agreement among everyone to leave polarization and politics at the door. We simply … Read More

A Writer’s Guide to Self-Care

It’s no secret that creatives are more at risk for depression, but for writers, it can be especially tough. Our craft is a solitary endeavor, spending hours in front of a keyboard. For those prone to feelings of loneliness, the isolation, the lack of sunlight and human interaction that writing often brings, can plunge them into the dark waters of … Read More

The Currency of Life

I was complaining about chasing rabbits (which is a euphemism for doing a little of everything and getting nothing done) to a friend when she suggested thinking in terms of income-producing activities. I wrote about it earlier this month, but the idea is to categorize daily activities into two columns, one for income-producing activities and the other for non-income-producing activities. … Read More

Just Write the D*mn Story!

Writing is a process, one that is multi-faceted and complex. Some writers love the beginning stages of creating a story. They have a million ideas that never make it to the page. Others love getting that first draft down, writing like they’ll be shot at dawn if they don’t get the thing on paper. Others love to revise, layer, create … Read More