Category: Life
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Thankful Thursday: Thankful for fiction that reminds me my struggles have meaning and purpose
It’s nothing new to hear that it’s only when we leave our comfort zone that we grow. That it is our struggles and failures that stretch, mold, mature, and improve us. Yet, it is true. Our sufferings and stumblings not only reveal who we are, but if we let them, they can make us better…
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Sunday reflection 3: When you ask God to guide you, He will. My stunning answered prayer story
Two of my favorite verses from the Old Testament are: “If you find your delight in the Lord, he grant your heart’s desire. Commit your life to the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act.” From the Psalms. The other is from Proverbs 3: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean…
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It hit me the other day that I have the life I left grad school for . . . and wow
It hit me the other day, a few days after my launch of The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope, that I pretty much have the life I left my doctoral program for. That was a full decade ago in 2013. I was disenchanted and burned out. God gave me enough wisdom to see that…
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When empathy and creative writing collide
Has empathy ever made creative writing difficult for you? I had an interesting experience this afternoon, regarding revising a tough scene in book two. I was kind of dreading doing it. I’ve had two scenes make me cry revising them, one in book one of my trilogy (just released in a second edition) and one…
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A Tale of Five Cities: “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope”
Y’all, THE SECOND EDITION OF MY YA FANTASY LAUNCHED YESTERDAY!!! It’s an action-packed tale of a magical civil war, and I could not be more excited. This was literally ten years in the making. (The first edition, which has been out of circulation for years, released ten years ago). If you want to go back…
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Reflections on my mother (on release week)
It’s release week! Seeing that “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope” launches Thursday (6/15), I wanted to focus today’s blog post on my mother for some special reasons. The first edition of my book a decade ago was dedicated to her. I dedicated the second edition to her as well. She was SUCH an…
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Doing the grunt work feels thankless . . . but it’s actually magical
Preparing for the June 15 launch of “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope” has definitely been a marathon. I feel pretty spent physically, emotionally, and psychologically right now. And there’s still a week before the stress, joy, tears, and memories of launch day itself. Now, this is not to complain at all. It’s to…
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A look into an author’s mind a week before launch day
Launch day is basically a week away for my YA fantasy sword and sorcery epic adventure, and I wanted to take stock here and make a log of all the crazy thoughts running in and out of my mind . . . Anyways, that’s what’s going through my head right about now! It’s a circus,…
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Sibling relationships in life and fiction
I am the middle child of three girls (the middle of 5 kids total, counting step-siblings who are real siblings to me). I have great relationships with all of them. They are ALWAYS there for me, and I hope they are able to say I am there for them. They support and help me. They…
Creative Writing with the Crimson League 