“For gosh sakes, treat them better than they deserve! Who would ever escape misery, otherwise?” -Hamlet (liberally paraphrased by Elise Stephens) I have begun the most demanding creative project of my life. Growing a little human being inside of me is a harrowing, mystical, and unparalleled experience. I am a mother. I will raise another life to the light. I am flat on my back,…
What makes a story have a human heart? Can you think of the moments when you've read a story and could relate exactly to the person telling the story? Did you feel less alone and more understood because of it? I am incredibly honored to introduce you today to Brian McDonald, a man who continues to teach the world (and me!) priceless keys and truths to…
Hope everyone had a fabulous Halloween! I have absolutely loved getting to see your doodled costumes for this contest. Thank you to everyone who sent me theirs! WINNER- Renee Schuls-Jacobson-for her portrait of someone flying in the MOONLIGHT wearing ORANGE patterned attire. (Can you say "Play to the judge?) She will receive an autographed copy of Moonlight and Oranges, as well…
I’m happy to report that my nervous twitch has subsided and I’m safely returned from beautiful British Columbia (and yes, I had a great time at my Canadian conference). This has been a week of really focusing what I have to say in my writing, and looking at my stories with the eyes of someone intent to slash out needless words. Dangerous work, when you think…
Multiple choice tests are as fun as you make them. I’ve designed my own, which tells the story of how I came, saw, and conquered the Surrey International Writer’s Conference. You may have witnessed the post on my eye twitch for how anxious I was to tread inside the intimidating world of agents, widely published authors, dinner and cocktail events. I promised to tell you how…
Lorona and Kestrin meet in costume at a Halloween party and the sparks fly under a full moon set high in an October sky as Moonlight and Oranges opens. Kestrin wears a set of white feathered wings and Lorona barely hides her nervousness behind nerdy glasses and a notepad. Costumes inject excitement and intrigue into any evening, in my opinion, and this story makes no exception.…
Step 1: Collect the following ingredients: 4-6 passionate friends who get along and want to develop their creative goals House, cabin, or hotel, preferably beautiful and cheap (Ask your friends if they know someone who will offer it for free) Edibles to cover three days of meals for all Miscellaneous clothes Writing essentials (Laptop, notebook, pens, playlists, headphones) Step 2: Carefully mix the above ingredients, then…
Three Booktrope authors: Jesse James Freeman, Terry Persun, and Christina Esdon, and I put together an interview over Google+. We had a pretty darn good time talking to each other over our computer screens. They were nice enough to interview me about Moonlight and Oranges. The whole interview is about 8 min. Super short. Hope you like it!
I'm in a video! A writer friend who I met on Twitter, Imran Siddiq (@flickimp) invited me to be part of this fun video project. We all sent in clips of ourselves that were five seconds long, describing what kind of writer we were. I'm at the :51 mark. It's fun to see all the different ways that people portrayed themselves. I think I talk really…
I'm a firstborn girl and I can't help telling people what to do sometimes. At least that's my story I tell myself. :) Although it can make me obnoxious at times, there are moments when the leadership is much appreciated and needed. Thank goodness! I blog on Heather Huffman's site today in her Heather's Mark series on using my powers of bossyness for good (or for…