-
The Real Reason My House Is Messy
I’m reading more than I ever have in my life. As I meet authors I want to read their books. As I’m entering a new phase of my life, I want to better understand myself and make sure I’m realizing my full potential or, as Oprah says, living my best life.
-
Inside Every Book Lies the Heart of an Author
Inside Every Book Lies the Heart of an Author “To those who can dream there is no such place as faraway.” Anonymous Everything that I have in my life began with a dream, a thought, a what if… Writing fiction takes the same bravery. I have an idea and I must believe that I can get to work and turn it into a book. It’s not an easy task. First, I have to trust that the story will present itself daily as I sit down to type. I have to fight all the demons that whisper and tell me I’m wasting my time. Eventually, I will give my story to an editor. Afterwards, I must…
-
Growing Avocado Trees
I didn’t recognize the symbolism of growing an avocado tree at the same time I was beginning my journey of becoming an author. I simply loved avocados. Four years later as I set a new seed on my windowsill at the same time I was stressing over how to market Mystic I realized my avocado trees represented change and growth from within myself. They were my reminder that even though I could envision the giant tree that would fill my yard it wasn’t going to grow overnight. I needed to care for it every day while enjoying each day and know that eventually my seed would be a majestic tree. Here’s how to grow an avocado tree. This picture was…
-
An Author’s Journey Part III
To recap MYSTIC’s journey so far: From Aug.2006 – Aug. 27, 2008 – I wrote the first draft. It was over 350 pages. May 2009 I attended a Highlights Foundation novel workshop. Went home and wrote a second draft from May to October 2009. October 2009 returned for the second half of the novel workshop and realized I still had a long way to go. The manuscript was around 330 pages. November 2009 began the third draft of MYSTIC Aug. 2008: Changes For Our Family: Sometimes it takes an event or an accident to occur to open our eyes, look at life and know that change is needed. Perhaps I had…
-
An Author’s Journey Part I
I’ve listened to many authors speak of their writing journey. Not one of them said they published their first novel in two or three years. They all told a story of how their first novel took them five to ten years from the birth of an idea to publication. I listened and then decided I’d be different. No way was it going to take me so long to get my first novel published. I was wrong. Those of you who have been following me on Facebook and this blog know that I’ve been working on a middle grade fantasy called MYSTIC. My mantra for the past three years has been, “Yep, I’m still…
-
Introducing uTales and SNOW GAMES
I am very excited to introduce to you, uTales and Joanna Marple, the author of SNOW GAMES. Meeting authors and illustrators online or in person is a thrill for me. Having them guest blog and share their art makes me feel as though I’m helping to spread joy around the world. In this post Joanna Marple writes about the creative process in developing her characters for SNOW GAMES. I found it fascinating. It’s an excellent resource for teachers of young writers. While this is Mouse’s story, SNOW GAMES really does in many ways have four protagonists. This was an issue I grappled with in writing this story. I knew that I needed a…
