Great Teachers Aren’t Scripted

Great teachers don’t teach the same year twenty-eight times. They teach twenty-eight years once. I may reuse activities or revisit lessons that worked well before, but I never reuse the same plans year after year. Why? Because students change. Every class brings different strengths, different challenges, and different needs. Teaching isn’t about repeating what worked before—it’s about responding to the … Read More

When Votes Don’t Matter

In Kentucky, voters in all 120 counties rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed tax dollars to be sent to private, charter, or religious schools. Every county. Rural and urban. Red and blue. That wasn’t confusion or coincidence — it was a statewide decision to protect public education. Kentuckians said they want public money to stay in public schools. … Read More

Learning to live in the Moment

I’ve always believed that writing is my passion, but teaching is my calling. Writing fills a part of me that few things ever will, but my purpose in this life is to empower each child to realize that their voice matters, that they have gifts and talents, and that they are essential to this world. It’s an incredible responsibility, one … Read More

The Age of Accountability

Traditionally, the age of eighteen marks the threshold of adulthood. It’s a time when the reins of childhood are loosened, and responsibility shifts entirely, giving young adults the freedom to carve their own paths. It’s when we stand and face the weight of our choices–when we realize that every action and every decision can become a burden we alone bear. … 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

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

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

Life is Hope

Suicide. Most people shy away from the subject. It’s difficult, and uncomfortable, and leaves us facing our own mortality. We’d rather smile, nod our heads and switch the conversation to something safe and mundane–like redecorating our bathroom or go on and on about how we’re looking forward to spring. It’s a way to stick our head in the proverbial sand, … Read More

Running a Lean Mean Marketing Machine

I did a post on Facebook’s latest changes regarding groups and pages last month, but even authors that had prepared for the switch were shell shocked at the results, both in sales and in reader interaction. Algorithms have destroyed any hope of reaching new readers without paying for an ad or running a sponsored post. My friend LK Griffie has been saying for … 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