I didn’t set out to be a writer. I had grand plans to teach curious 3rd graders, but a small voice inside said, You’ll despise your future children if you teach. So I listened deeper and pursued my dream of Event Management until we had our first son. And then like many new parents, I started blogging. A way to record …
Pssst! I’m inviting YOU to join the Choosing REAL Book Launch Team
Pssst! Hey YOU! Yes, you, “my people.” Would you like a sneak peek of Choosing REAL before anyone else? Would you commit to reading and sharing about Choosing REAL via your social media avenues (however feels most authentically you), writing an Amazon review (when the book is officially released on December 1st), and considering other creative ways to support this …
Confessions of a New Author: How Reading Big Magic freed me to Write
I’m not sure how I stumbled upon Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic late last year, but her words were divinely timed. As if the good Lord plopped it in this lap and grinned, All truth is My truth. Enjoy. I’d just signed a book contract, was feeling all the feelings about birthing a baby in the form of pages and a …
Confessions of a New Author: What’s a Book Proposal?
Chalk it up to being an idealist. If you wanna write a book, you just write one, right? A publisher reads it. Falls in love simultaneously with you, and every written word from your blessed hand, offers a book contract, sends it to print, and behold, Barnes & Noble. Ya? I’m laughing in my tea admitting such silly notions. Like …
Confessions of a New Author: The Beginning
Here’s the deal. I’m learning this Author thing as I go. I really have no idea what I’m doing. None of us do until we’re in the thick of it and trudging along thinking, This is kinda messy and unclear and thrilling but I am getting somewhere. Somehow I’m getting somewhere. This somewhere is what I’m inviting you into. I don’t …
Write Well-Rounded
One of the most practical takeaways I gleaned from a writers conference years ago was the encouragement to write well-rounded. Writing well-rounded builds layers of average, uncomfortable, perseverant terrain to create a journey made up of insightful steps. So how does one write well-rounded? Take any writing opportunity and give it a go. Learn. Refine. Grow. Write for your personal …
Re:Write Conference Retrospective
Can I just say, Wow! I mean, W-O-W!
Attending Re:Write, was the most incredible conference experience ever!
Author wisdom, writing inspiration, life perspective, an ocean of new faces, abundant stories, it was all so overwhelming and deer-in-the-headlights-ish. Solid, yet simple reminders of how to persevere in the uphill mental battle of writing.
Drinking from a dozen fire hoses, is what it felt like!
Thank you for praying, for believing and cheering me forward. I need that. We all need that. Comfort blanketed as I stepped into the scared knowing there was a team of people waving a banner and ushering me into a dream. Thank you to amazing parents who helped us financially and savored time with our boys because they believe in being a part of my journey. Humble gulps, I swallowed them every minute of the weekend. Gratitude praise is what flows out now.
The Everyday Parent
I’ve always loved writing. And then I had kids and something warm lit within, a spark fueled by watching my joy bundles breathe in the world and exhale out a simpler, unjaded version. Suddenly words had new meaning, my heart barely containing this lava love heaped with awe and gratefulness to our creative Creator. It’s my sons that ignite this …
Real Simple’s Blogger Contest!
Last month I had a rare moment to sit down and actually read my favorite magazine cover-to-cover. Real Simple. Long after the days of Seventeen, Premiere, Cosmopolitan… my life was made complete by this magazine. I am a forever fan and subscriber. Real Simple. Ah! Just the magazine’s name relaxes my shoulders and brings a content sigh. Real Simple. The …