After the tough go-round with the last two agents, we talked for at least an hour. I called my mom, Maddie’s biggest fan, and tried to get ahold of my husband, who got back to me after we left the …
Pitching to Agents Part 3: Turning Negative into Positive Read more »
As I wrote last week, Maddie and I attended a writing conference where we pitched our books to ten agents. I thought long and hard about how much to share about our personal life, as well as the conference we …
Pitching to Agents, The Throat Punching Aspects, Part 2 Read more »
The community I live in, Front Royal, Virginia, has a large problem with homelessness. And with the record cold temperatures we’ve been facing over the past few weeks, the non-profits who work the problem of homelessness as well as several …
When Red Tape Blocks Neighbors from Helping the Homeless Read more »
Ice glistened on the slabs that rose out of the front yard. The driveway was wet but not slippery because we put salt down in the afternoon, but we couldn’t salt the rocks, so they bore the marks of the …
Some people can walk up to other people and with the childlike confidence or perhaps innocence make a new friend. Like when we were in elementary school and landed on the ground after jumping down from the monkey bars. We …
The kids and I moved five days after they started in their new schools on August 15, 2015. The move itself was crazy, and done in small and large parts. I began house hunting in a town called Linden, a …
Moving to Front Royal: The Reign of the Stink Bug Read more »
One of my friends, author Natalie G. Owens, sent me a video of a church choir singing Hozier’s “Take Me To Church.” And she said this was the kinda song my church choir would sing . . . and this …
There’s nothing helpful or useful or beneficial about shame. Nothing. If you did something you regret, fix it to the best of your ability and move forward. If you drank too much or smoked too much or ate too much, …
Last week, after I wrote a post that referred to my own elbow-throwing, competitive propensities, a woman who skates by the name of Molotov approached me on my Facebook Page, Running from Hell with El, to see if I was …
Skating with Molotov: Portland Renegade Roller Derby Read more »
I’m thinking too much, too fast, too much, too fast. Damnit. What if it’s a really really bad idea to self-publish Ripple? Should I have kissed many more asses? Why didn’t I kiss more asses? Who do I ask to …
Gah! I’m an Adult Now: Self-Publishing Fears and Related Woes Read more »