I'm very happy to introduce you today to Heather Huffman! Heather and I first connected on Twitter (and also through our publisher, Booktrope) when I caught her talking about home schooling tricks that her kids were trying to play on her. My first tweet to her read something like "We tried to tell our mom that playing the piano counted for math lessons because we'd read…
I grew up on fairy tales. Consequently, I’m a dreamer and an optimist. I’ve always been more outrageously shocked by scandal or crude humor than most of my friends. To this day, people will say things that upset me just to watch my expression. Apparently I put on a good show. I knew by the time I went to college that I’d been raised in a…
You are in for a treat. This post is penned by my friend David, who I met through a swing dance club at the University of Washington. I watched him learn to dance and get really awesome at it. Since then, David and I have taken The Artist's Way course together and from the deeper friendship that formed, chatted lengthily on life, faith, creativity, love, and dreams. …
I love personality tests: Answering a string of questions about myself and getting results that tell me something (usually positive) about who I am at my core has always felt affirming. I’m an ESFJ on the Myers-Briggs, a dIsC on the DISC Assessment, an Aphrodite/Hera on the Goddess Within test, and so on…You might gather I really like these tests. Whether you enjoy personality tests, or just consider…
I considered titling this post CONFESSIONS OF AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE. You'll see why. I never considered myself an addictive personality, especially not when it came to my productivity and social life, but that was just ignorance blindsiding me. It was very sneaky about it. Some of you read my fog and purpose post two weeks ago about a depression that was troubling me enough to post as documentation…
A savvy traveler, dreamer, and delightful writer, I'm thrilled to introduce you to my good friend, Michelle Fuller! Michelle and I crossed paths at the University of Washington while the two of us were swing dancing through undergrad. I remember one fateful night in which we sang, full-throttle, Part of Your World from Disney's The Little Mermaid, and after that, our friendship was forever set in stone. …
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Marni Mann, a talented writer with a fun streak that I love. Marni and I met via Twitter, and we both had our first novels published through Booktrope Editions within the last six months, which makes us sisters in the publishing family. Marni inspires me with her spunk, her compassion, and her kindness. In this post she courageously explores…
It wasn't a writers' retreat; it was a writers' advance. This last weekend, I took four days away with five other writers for a time of writing, revision, thinking, reflection, encouragement, and rejuvenation. For those of us who take retreats, most of us use the word "retreat" to imply that we're getting away from something. But if you think of that same word in terms of…
This post launches my brand spankin' new guest blog series Because I Knew You in which I invite people from all walks of life to tell us about someone who has changed them permanently, how they've been changed, and what they would tell this person now. I begin this project with a post on a very special person who changed my own life. Following this post, each Thursday you will…
IT'S A CONTEST! In celebration of Valentine's Day, I am hosting a contest, starting today, from February 9 - February 14. Five lucky winners will receive a FREE autographed copy of Moonlight and Oranges! THE RULES: There are three ways to enter to win a copy of Moonlight and Oranges - don't forget, you're welcome to enter all three! 1. Share the Love on Twitter: In honor…