Writing Alternative Romance: An Anti-Valentine
Yes, it’s after Valentine’s Day so I’m late with this post. But I’m in the passionate throes of unpacking in a new house, and falling in love with quieter, gentler surroundings as I move from room to room and become easily distracted. Can I just say that leaving a box of breakables half-unpacked is not […]
Writer’s Doubt Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing
I’ve seen a lot of Twitter posts lately from authors and writers who doubt their abilities and wish they weren’t consumed with angst over it. We all go there. It must surely be natural and inevitable to the creative process. But if we learn to lasso our doubts, to avoid their crippling effect, we may […]
Book Banning is on Malevolent, Mindless Repeat
I’m posting this on Groundhog Day because we’ve tackled this pathetic and tiresome issue before, yet it keeps coming back, seeming to never end. It repeats as mindlessly as the malevolent people perpetuating it. Fascist racists are in a tither to ban books revealing truths about atrocities their ancestors committed in the short history of […]
Ageist Sexism: Throwing Hissy Fits Over Nancy Pelosi’s Age
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces she’s running for re-election and Twitter erupts with immature, so-called progressive punks raging about her age, claiming she is too old for the job she’s been doing—and doing better than so many men before her, old or otherwise. Step aside, short-sided men, because your ageism is outrageous. Misogynist double-standard much? […]
I’m Done Being Quiet About Blatant Racists
This week’s post is brought to you a tad late due to last week’s crashed laptop. Perhaps the now worthless electronic device was reacting to energy emanating from me known as rage, much like my Other Worldly series protagonist with extraordinary electromagnetic energy. I wish mine could zap microphones the way Rowan Layne can. What […]
Give Yourself the Gift of Positive Feedback
Every now and then I see a quote on Facebook that truly resonates. Most recently the message was: “When people are intimidated by your strength and happiness, they’ll try to tear you down, and break your spirit. Remember, it’s a reflection of their weakness, and not a reflection of you.” Those words were attributed to […]
A Year of a Different Color
It’s a bright and shining new year, and I aim to meet new people and embark on experiences that color scenes in my books in a positive, energizing way. Changing colors and positive vibes are themes of my next novel currently in progress, Alien Sensation. It’s definitely an alien sensation that I didn’t manage to […]
Pondering the Pleasures of Pomegranates
The world seems to be gearing up for more angst and stress as 2021 draws to a close, so it’s time to write about something that makes me feel jolly. The bursting red bounty that is a pomegranate. ‘Tis the season after all, for making merry, and it’s a fruit that’s currently in season. Protagonist […]
How About Some Goodwill Toward Women?
Perhaps the problem with the phrase “Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Men” is, like much of the history of humankind, it fails to acknowledge women as sentient beings deserving of good will, not to mention recognition of the reality that without women, men wouldn’t exist on Earth. Females have been treated as less than, as […]
Literary Agent Angst
Recently I read an online article from Writer’s Digest addressing whether writers need literary agents to be successful. What was most striking about it was the initial caveat from the author, who sought to make clear how they “love” literary agents and think they’re essential and important—just not necessarily for all writing projects. Hence, the […]