I had a nice long list of things I was looking for in my perfect man. I wanted my husband to love travel, to dance, to be taller than me, to be intelligent, etc etc etc. This on the other "perfect" person made me forget that I'm actually an imperfect person who he's going to marry, and that I might make his life a ton of…
It’s a good day to live in Seattle. This is not breaking news, but the Seattle Seahawks have made their mark as Super Bowl champions and my hometown has erupted in frenzied ecstatic cheering. A few weeks ago, the news of a victory parade downtown made me shudder—large crowds=stampede, death and mayhem in my mind. Perhaps I was raised by protective parents (okay, fine, I was…
Fairy tales are more than stories. In the best of them, we see ourselves in them and incorporate their truths and magic. I was seven years old when I first saw Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in theaters. To this day, the twirling leaf in the wolf-haunted forest still makes me tingle. My mother encouraged her children to practice and grow comfortable with theater and performing…
I'm astonished I never saw the bias before. I didn't realize how hard it truly is to thrive as an introvert in American society. Reading the book Quiet by Susan Cain has deeply impacted my thoughts on the subject. I wrote about my initial reactions here, as a guest post on my publisher's website. Read my post on Quiet Power.
When I mix up my right and left hands, we all chuckle. When I mix up the brake and gas pedals while parking, someone loses their cool. More accurately, that someone losing their cool is me: I’m pounding my steering wheel with both fists, swearing and half-hissing half-wailing because I’ve hit the gas while trying to hit the brake, and all because I thought my Honda…
This week, I'm reviving the Friday Five where I briefly detail five things I've learned about life this week. 1. We learn to laugh in stages. I didn't know this was part of human development, but we actually don't laugh all at once! Right now, when I tickle George's belly, he gives off a couple grunts. He's not at the "peals of laughter" stage. It's hilarious…
December. My baby’s four month anniversary. Christmas rush. Maternal exhaustion. Guilt has no place here. It’s really the last thing I need. Outside my home, the frost sheaths the brave blades of grass that raise their heads. Inside my home, Christmas lights offer no warmth as I weep and share two huge, aching desires in my heart: to be a mother to my beautiful son and…
I surface. I blink in the watery, clear light of autumn. I cradle a small warm bundle of life in my arms and hear him cry for attention, love, and food. The reason for my long absence from this blog was the birth of my son, George Liam Stephens. He arrived early on August 1st, and my life has turned head over heels: In love. In…
The candles glowed on the tables, the voices of the guests rose and fell in excited conversation and laughter, and I sat a few feet away, gripping a glass of cold root beer for strength to face what I had worked so long to achieve. It's happened. I've officially finished my second novel. The wax seal has been formed by this crowd of people coming together…
My friends, The long-anticipated moment is here! Forecast is now available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble in both print and ebook format! I will be shouting this exciting news from the rooftops, and if you want to help me shout it, too I don't mind! Feel free to tell your friends, post the news on Facebook or Twitter or wherever you already are…