Hanging By a Moment

Twelve years ago today, I lost a friend to breath play. Its something I still haven’t recovered from, especially since I’m the one who found him. And yet, of all the people I’ve ever known, he still resonates as the most alive. Funny, that something as essential as breathing is what ended up killing him. Even […]

I’m a Bad Girl! (But, just for a day.)

The lovely ladies at the Bag Girlz Write blog offered me the chance to be a Bad Girl for a day. Who could resist that? Wanting to join their hallowed halls, erm, posts of excellent writerly advice, I put together a little snippet about the benefits of flash fiction, and of course, pimped out the […]

Baby steps, get on a bus…Baby steps, untie my knots…

I’m not a person who likes to step outside my comfort zone very often. I live my life in a happy circle of work, the gym, and home. As a matter of fact, for the last four months, I haven’t been more than an hour away from my house. And in the six years my […]

Take What You Want, and an Interview with Jeanette Grey

Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m just going to jump out and say it: I love Jeanette Grey’s books. Big time. I’ve read every single one. And Take What You Want was just another story for me to love as much as the others. From the very beginning, […]

On Query Letters, Pitching Events and Generally Freaking the F#%k Out

Last weekend, I went to a pitching event at the university where I work. It’s touted as the “American Idol for Books.” Terrified at the idea of pitching itself and then getting critiqued on my efforts, let alone doing in front of a room full of people, I decided it was better to pull a […]

Spring Cleaning

So, I didn’t make my March goal. Don’t get me wrong—I haven’t been procrastinating. I’ve been writing, nearly every day actually, in an attempt to reach another goal: finish my manuscript before the May date to sign up for agent and editor appointments for July’s R.W.A. conference. Every day, I inch a little bit closer […]

The Host

The Host by Stephenie Meyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I waited to review this book until after I saw the movie. I was curious to see how they’d bring the story to the screen. I’ll warn you that I’m usually a total book purist. It’s very rare that I’ll think a movie does […]

Beware the Ides of March

  “A soothsayer bids you, beware the ides of March.” – William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar I’m dreading the fifteenth of March, and not just because it’s my husband’s birthday and I haven’t figured out what to get him yet. Mid March is my self-imposed due date to have my query letters and submission information ready […]

Unravel Me, and the Shatter Me series

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi My rating: 4 of 5 stars I almost pulled a Joey and put this book in my freezer several times. I would have, too, if it wouldn’t have ruined my kindle. Let me start off by saying I hate love triangles. HATE. There is never a happy ending, never a […]

Falling in love with fictional characters

“Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind.” ― William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream   Valentine’s Day is coming. Once a year, everything is all hearts and roses. Countless pink and red-wrapped candies tempt us from grocery store shelves. There’s an abundance of jewelry commercials on TV, and pressure on those who […]