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Short Stories Can Lead to Bigger Creative Endeavors
When I first began this humble writing journey of mine, I started by writing short stories. I’d sit in my high school classes and write stories instead of paying closer attention to my teachers (sorry, Mom and Dad, I probably could have brought home some better grades, especially in Geometry). Something happened to me when I wrote stories—it gave me such a sense of pleasure and accomplishment in ways that I didn’t feel in other endeavors. Even if I just shared the stories with close friends, I enjoyed hearing what they had to say about the little fictions I was telling and to see if they enjoyed reading them. All…
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My 5th Novel Has a Name (at least for now)
Today, it’s official. I have a book title. I have a copyrighted ISBN number. I have a “mood” for the cover. And while I am going to seek traditional publishing this time around and solicit an agent to represent me, I still need to go through this process to help move in the right direction and keep me motivated should I venture down the self-publishing road again. The characters in this novel are not only in my head, but in my soul. Each one is a part of me, and a part of you, and a part of everyone we have met along the way. With five main characters, a…
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The 6 a.m Pledge for My Health
To the year 2020—you’ve been a disaster in so many ways. So many of us are tired and feeling the angst that has befallen us during these last many months. We’ve lost sleep, contact with people we love, the ability to move around in society in a normal way, and for many people, pay reductions and loss of jobs and livelihoods. Just this morning, I heard the story of someone who lost their store and is now homeless thanks to the pandemic. Additionally, as a consummate consumer of news, I’ve realized the very nature of this much negative news consumption that I inhale on a daily basis is affecting my…
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Reading, Writing, and an Empath for November
Dear Readers, I hope you are well! It’s hard to believe it’s November 1st, especially after all we’ve collectively been through this year, but alas, here it is, and that means the next couple of months will be filled with family, friends, and love as the holidays approach. While taking care of one another is paramount, it’s also important to care for yourself, as well. That can mean exercising, eating right, meditating, reading, relaxing, and giving way to things that make your heart happy. For me, besides the wonderful gift of a boat that my husband gave me for my birthday in August—one of the greatest surprises of my lifetime—I’ve…
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FROCKTOBER Fashions Meet Literacy Support for Kids
✨WELCOME TO FROCKTOBER✨The month has arrived, my friends. For the fifth time, I am participating in #FROCKTOBER, an initiative that calls attention to a charity of choice by posting an outfit a day for the month of October. I’m always up for a good challenge, and this year, I’ve decided to blend my love of fashion with my love of books, writing, and reading..As an author, professor, and blogger, I love how creativity comes to us in many different ways, and I think combining FICTION & FASHION is a fun way to spend October! 😘 So, not only will I be sharing my fashion, but I’ll also be sharing and…
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Frocktober begins tomorrow & I’ve picked my charity
FROCKTOBER BEGINS TOMORROW… And I’m announcing the charity I have chosen for the next 31 days. What is FROCKTOBER? It’s a 31-day fashion challenge, whereby you post an outfit a day on Instagram, that calls attention to a charity of choice! As an educator, author, blogger, and reader, I am so happy to support and call attention to another woman of style’s organization that fosters reading: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Dolly’s nonprofit organization is a book gifting program that delivers free books to children from birth to age 5 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Republic of Ireland. The organization was inspired by Dolly’s father’s inability to…
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Some Updates on Some things
As I’ve been a little out of touch, I thought I’d share a few updates, and things that have been happening during quarantine of late, starting with… The Unnamed Boat The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of excitement. On my birthday in mid-August, my husband surprised me by purchasing a boat. Our friends upgraded to a new vessel, and he bought their boat. As I had been out on their boat several times, it was a lovely, and completely out-of-the-blue surprise. Since then, we’ve been spending as much time on the water as we can before the season ends. Growing up, my dad had boats. When I was…
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Anxiety at 3:30 a.m.
I can’t believe I’m sitting her typing this at 3:30 in the morning, but I am. I’m getting angrier by the minute that I can’t fall asleep and that my heart is racing for no good reason. This happens to me a few times a year, and like a dummy, I allow it to get the better of me instead of going with the flow. The worst part of all is that I’m actually exhausted. I suppose I should be thankful because it allows me a few moments to write a blog post, something I haven’t tackled since my birthday because I’ve been too busy. There are many of you…
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The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem
The Annual Birthday Post Turned Poem The hour has finally arrived, my friends Another birthday is here I’d love to scream with joy and glee But aging’s what I fear Growing old’s a gift, it’s true To live your life in full It should be sunshine and roses But a lot of it’s just bull Aging isn’t always bliss My back’s a pain in the ass It’s taking away from me having fun And affecting all of my sass The lines on my face do show some wear And I jiggle way more than I’d like The greys in my hair are plentiful, too So I escape when I can…
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Facing Monday
* Hello, Monday, I see we meet again. We have come face-to-face for another round. I’m not intimidated by you this week. In week’s past, I may have been. But this week will be productive. There’s a lot to accomplish, so I hope you are ready..First, we have to allow for some time to be creative and work on the new story. Something clicked last week as I was writing my characters for this novel. I realized how vested I am in the project and in Meg, Eva, Lily, Reid and Nick. I like all of them, and while they may have some struggles they’re dealing with at the beginning…
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What Are You Missing Most Right Now?
Here’s the question: WHAT ARE YOU MISSING MOST RIGHT NOW? Most of us are probably missing the freedom we used to have to travel, being with those we love without social distancing, and seeing the world. Plus, as I am working on my syllabus for feature writing, I typically instruct and assign an article about travel writing. This morning I woke up realizing I may have to take this assignment out. How can I expect the students to travel and write about their local travel in these present circumstances? This semester is going to be unusual enough without now having to rethink assignments. I’m going to have to get creative.…
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A Suggestion for Your Kids: Write About The Pandemic
*** Let’s get a few things straight before I launch into this short, but important blog post. I’ll start with the five basics. First: I’m a writer, and I love writing, so I’m going to encourage writing. Second: You have seen me often write on this platform about the importance of keeping a journal of your life to preserve your family’s history. Nothing has changed since then. Third: As a teacher of writing, what better subject matter to offer potential writers to write about than the situation of what we are all going through? Fourth: We find ourselves in incredibly unusual times, and it’s worth taking the time to record…
