December is almost here, a time for tinseled trees, fuzzy slippers, hot chocolate, and end-of-year lists. My own list of bookish favorites will be posted in a few weeks, but there’s one category I’ve never featured—the books that seem to always get … [Continue reading]
Happy Halloween!
Posted on October 31, 2021 ·
It's so hard to let go of October; I always wish it would stay a little longer. Halloween night has yet to arrive and already my month has been full of treats. I indulged in plenty of great horror movies, including a re-watch of the compulsively … [Continue reading]
My Big Mistake with Kindle Vella and Why I’m Starting Over
Posted on September 30, 2021 ·
You may have heard me shouting from the rooftops about my Kindle Vella story when Amazon’s new serialized story platform launched in July. The YA cozy mystery I’d penned back in 2019 and secretly uploaded to Vella in April was chosen as one of a … [Continue reading]
When Stories Disappear
Posted on August 22, 2021 ·
In June of 2019 I wrote a post paying tribute to literary magazines and lamenting the many we’d lost that year. YA Review Network (YARN), an online publication dedicated to young adult literature, was one of them. A few months ago YARN announced … [Continue reading]
One Author’s Experience With Kindle Vella
Posted on July 17, 2021 ·
Whew, that was wild! Now that I’ve had a chance to catch my breath, let me tell you what led me to the Kindle Vella platform and how it’s going. This post is very long and mostly about me so if you’re just here for the Vella info, and I don’t blame … [Continue reading]
The ‘Best’ News!
Posted on July 15, 2021 ·
“Transient” has been nominated for a Best of the Net award in creative nonfiction, and I am so honored. The response to this piece has blown me away and helped me feel validated as a writer in a time when I really needed it. Additionally, the … [Continue reading]
Read My New Story “Transient” in Reservoir Road
Posted on June 29, 2021 ·
For the last year and a half I’ve been so focused on novels—planning them, writing them, editing them, pitching them— that I’ve neglected my short stories and essays. I realized recently that it’s been nearly a year since I’ve had anything published, … [Continue reading]
Prepping for #PitMad
Posted on May 31, 2021 ·
Since joining Twitter in 2013 I've been an avid fan of pitchfests, but I've never actually participated in one. For this Thursday's #PitMad I thought I'd give it a shot. What’s #PitMad, you ask? It’s an event on Twitter where authors pitch their … [Continue reading]
Happy Endings
Posted on April 15, 2021 ·
Somehow it’s April and student teaching is behind me. I spent January and February learning how to teach a class of second grade students online, and then I spent March getting to know them in person. As hard as it was to say goodbye, I had the … [Continue reading]
How to Fall in Love with Writing All Over Again
Posted on February 21, 2021 ·
It happens—sometimes you just lose your love for writing. Like all relationships, there are exhilarating highs and plunging lows. Maybe you’ve bravely faced off a monthslong slew of rejections but the last one finally broke you. Maybe you can’t … [Continue reading]
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