I’ve been trying not to write about this because I didn’t want it to sound like I was hating on my previous boss, company, or team. But I can’t stop analyzing it, and recently I had some breakthroughs that I felt were worth sharing. First, the bare facts: I put in my two weeks’ notice at the end of June. I’d been unhappy for upwards of a year, but continually talked myself out of quitting for fear that I wouldn’t find anything better or that my problems were all in my head. I think it was the day I ended up in the emergency room on the advice of my…
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Wisdom From My Aunt, on Canvas
This amateur painting I made hangs above my desk, reminding me of the wisdom my aunt uses to get through the highs and lows of creating. Read the full story here.
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Welcoming the New Year with Curiosity
I’ve always liked New Year’s Eve. It’s probably my favorite holiday behind Halloween. Though I haven’t been faithful about choosing resolutions every year, nor sticking to every one of them, the ones I’ve done have led to some of the best decisions of my life, such as reading the Bible all the way through or writing a short story every month, which led to the birth of my first novel. This year, I’m still pondering my specific resolutions. But I did want to greet 2024 in style. It’s how I roll when I want to see big changes. The last time I went this hard for a new year was…
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Self Doubt Has a Face, and It’s Mine
My Self Doubt is a cheerful, overweight alcoholic version of me with a cute smile and an air of confidence that makes it easy to believe every word she says. She loves to remind me what I cannot do, and she’s full of opinions about what the future is bound to look like. She moonlights as a realist and masquerades as a friend who only wants to save me from embarrassment, but it’s hard to tell where her honesty ends and the hopelessness begins. Some days I listen to her. “It’s impossible,” she says matter-of-factly, pouring herself another glass of her current drink of choice. “No matter how much you…
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That Halloween Mood
Spooky season? More like the real most wonderful time of the year! You know what I love about Halloween? The expectations are totally different from any other holiday. You can kick it however you like, and you’ll fit right in. Love horror movies? Go wild. Want to play it safe and decorate jack-o-lanterns? Go for it. Decorate with spooky elegant decor all year round? Well, now you blend in! In fact, I think it might be said that Halloween is one of the most customizable holidays. Sure, you could technically celebrate anything (or nothing) exactly as you please, but at Halloween, you’re freer from rigid expectations. Let Me Feel This…
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A Belated Happy Birthday to My Latest Novel
I’ve been waiting forever to give this update: I’ve finished another book! That’s right, Novel No. 2 is a wrap. It still has to go through editing, which is slated to happen this month, but the writing of the manuscript is done. Actually, it was done around mid-April, but I still haven’t emotionally processed it. Story of my life, it seems. So, without further ado… Introducing: The Mysteriarch of Magnolia. Detective Ernest Cubbedge is called in to find a missing girl. The catch? The old southern patriarch who says she is missing from his house has lived alone for the past five years, and the men of the village have…
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An Unexpected Hurdle: Book Postpartum Depression
I made you. I love you. I made you because I love you. So why is it so hard for me to interact with you? Hitting that phase of adult life where most of my friends are getting married and having babies has introduced me to the concept of postpartum depression. And though I’m a single person with no children, hearing about what it’s like to experience postpartum depression made my ears perk up because it sounded so familiar. But not with a baby. With a book. It’s been over a year since the publication and release of my first book. It hasn’t felt at all the way I expected…
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Angels Strange and Beautiful Cover Reveal
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your first glimpse of the cover art for my debut novel, Angels Strange and Beautiful, courtesy of Abbey Konzen!
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The Big Question: Why Self Publish?
What do you think when you hear the words “self publishing”? It’s okay, you can be honest here, if only with yourself. If you’re like many people, your first thought might have been, “Were they not good enough to get published traditionally?” Like it or not, self publishing has had quite a stigma attached, and while its image is improving, there are still negative connotations to fight through, not to mention a major lack of knowledge on the subject. That’s why I thought I would take a few minutes to talk about what led me to the decision to self publish and let you in on the questions I asked…
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BIG NEWS: All Systems Go
My friends, my readers, and my supporters, It is with the deepest joy and wildest excitement that I announce that my debut novel is complete with a title and ready to begin the countdown to its launch! (Eek!) Read on to learn about my book, grab a sneak peek of the story behind it, and find out when you can buy your copy. About the book Angels Strange and Beautiful is a historical novel set in New England between the 1600s and 1700s. In the first half, a more or less innocent stalker follows the love story of Faith and Theophilus in a once-sleepy little village that is suddenly plagued…