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

Beacons in the Storm

Covid-19 has swept across the globe, its destructive wave affecting every aspect of our lives.  To complicate matters, facts are buried under a pile of opinions, misinformation, manipulation, and downright lies, which leads to nothing but a deafening roar of white noise, confusion, and fear. Panic ensues, which is never a good thing. Panicked people make stupid decisions, like hoarding … Read More

2020-The Year of Prosperity

If you’ve been following me, you know I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I focus on one aspect of life I’d like to nurture and grow. I choose a catchphrase that embodies the concept. It becomes a mantra of sorts, creating a common theme that runs throughout the twelve months and shapes my experiences. This past year was the … Read More

Reflecting on Years Past

I started naming years in college, but I never shared them with anyone until  I published ten years ago. This isn’t a New Year’s resolution but rather a way to focus on one aspect of your life that you’d like to change. It’s served me well over the years, and I find it fascinating to see how one year affects … 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

We’re now on Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin I’m trying to check off all the things on my writer’s to-do list before we start the new decade. It’s a long list, full of things that should have been taken care of months (*cough* years) ago. But hey, let’s celebrate that I’m giving it the old college try. At any rate, one box that’s … Read More

Taking Back Our Democracy

This Tuesday is election day in Kentucky, and the governor’s race is like something out of a scripted reality show. You know, that high-drama trope that has the evil incumbent with tons of corrupt money backing his oh-my-god-ridiculously-negative-ad campaign squaring off with the good-guy-grassroots-man who is fighting to change things for the better. The problem is, this isn’t a cheesy … 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

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