Now that I’m a hair less exhausted and might be able to construct a legible sentence or two, I thought I’d share how my infusion day went. Because of the length of time the treatment takes, I have to be to the doctor’s office by 8:30 AM which means leaving the house around 7:30 … just in case I run … Read More
All About What I Cannot Say
This is an update about some of the things I cannot talk about. 🙂 I know, somewhat ridiculous, right? But I am so happy about some things that are happening behind the scenes and want to share the marvelous promo image created for one of my projects I wrote a few years back. The writing game in many respects is … Read More
Beware of the Sypot
First off a warning to the reader: this post is likely to be riddled with sypot of all kinds — misspelled words, missing words, or maybe a sentence or two that makes absolutely no sense. I am making no apology for how you find this post, it is as I am writing it and will probably not go back when … Read More
Unexpected Infusion
I am getting to this post a little late because things happened fairly quickly and I have been on the tired side of late — kind of like the kitten passed out in the picture. After my latest cold, which took a few weeks to get rid of, I went back on my chemo treatment and when I went to … Read More
My Secret Friend
I had planned to be taking a hiatus from blogging after doing 24 days of Sloth on the Shelf with Sergio, but sometimes something unexpected happens to change those plans … as did in this case. Since I am pretty much confined to home because of illness, during the month of December, I had several things delivered. Gifts from friends, … Read More
And So It Begins … Again
When I saw the oncologist last week we didn’t have the results from the CT Scan. I saw my regular physician this week and he had the results. And I’ll be candid … they aren’t good. The scan revealed what I already knew — that the nodule on my neck was not the only lymphoma mass that would be found. … Read More
What Makes a Book Middle Grade?
Recently, I was discussing the arc for the Middle Grade (MG) series I am currently researching with an author friend who asked, “Are you sure this isn’t YA (Young Adult)?” My response was an immediate and unequivocal, “Yes.” The question was valid as what we had been discussing could potentially be morphing into the YA realm. But I am firm … Read More
YWS: Saving Ideas
“Ideas can come from anywhere and at any time. The problem with making mental notes is that the ink fades very rapidly.” – Rolf Smith The bane of the writer’s existence is the idea that arrives at an inconvenient time. I don’t think I’ve ever had a story show up while I’m sitting in front of my keyboard, hands poised … Read More
The Slippery Slope of Permission Slips
I recently read a Time article about a response to a school permission slip by Daniel Radosh, writer for the Daily Show. His son Milo had to obtain permission to read Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451 for his ELA book club. Daniel’s response raises the question of the permission slip being the first step along the road toward censorship, the issue … Read More
Down in the Sewer
Before starting to work on any book, I usually figure out some topics I will need to research prior to starting. Oftentimes I do research for one book while working on another because it gives me time to think about the things I have learned and assimilate how the knowledge will impact my story. I don’t think I’ve made it … Read More
YWS: How Writers Write – Take 2
Previously, I spoke about being a plotter or a pantster and how I fall in the middle of the spectrum. I’d like to add that for me, every book is different. Some require much more detailed planning in advance of starting, others simply have to be written and forget the outline you dashed down because we’re going on Mr. Toad’s … Read More
Enough
While I recently posted about bullying and suicide in honor of National Bully Prevention month (October), when I ran across the story of Bethany Thompson I felt the need to talk about it. Any time bullying leads to suicide, my heart breaks for the person who has been tormented to the point of no longer believing life is worth living. … Read More