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Reviewing a Movie for Romantics That’s Not a Hallmark Channel Creation
*** Readers of my blog, by now you are probably quite aware that I’m a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic and that I’m endlessly addicted to Hallmark Channel. I also write romance, so I decided to share a film with you that I just watched and thoroughly enjoyed. The movie is from 2015, and I knew nothing about it prior to two days ago. A one-time CRAZY movie buff, over the last several years I’ve pulled away from films and have been sucked into various shows made for television, and some of my favorites have included the following: Game of Thrones (the best television I’ve ever seen; in fact, one of the…
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An Update and the Plot Overview of Little Milestones – Coming Soon
Right now, my beta readers are looking over the draft of Little Milestones. I am reading the manuscript again, as well, for the hundredth time. As well, I’ve started to create some of my marketing materials for the book. For those of us in the trenches as independent authors, it’s a never-ending cycle of book promotion, writing, and editing. We’re at it all the time as we try to build our brand and find our niche of readers. I’m still at it and I haven’t given up. Today, I’m sharing the draft of the copy that goes on the outside of a book or inside a book jacket—you know, the…
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When Did You First Fall in Love…with someone & with reading?
* My mother recalls my disconnect as a young kid with books. “You were too busy doing other things–you were a doer.” This statement comes despite my mother’s genuine love for books and reading and the library. If ever there is a role model for someone who likes to read, it’s my mother. She’s been a voracious reader since she was a kid. There’s always a book open at her house; she conquers, on average, a book a week or two, I would guess. I remember my mother taking my brother and me to the Bowie Public Library as a kid, where I’d check out books and bring them home.…
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Thankfulness, Doug Flutie, and The Power of Love
The scent of a familiar cologne wafting into the room. An old song playing on the radio. The smell of spaghetti sauce cooking on the stove, the aroma of garlic filling the air. A black and white photograph of your great-grandparents and grandparents in a photo album together, smiling. These things remind us of people, and so… Thanksgiving is coming, and it’s a time to stop and be grateful. To count our blessings in a world that at times seems dark and gloomy. It’s a time to be thankful for what is now at present. But it’s also a time to be thankful for things that were. For relationships that…
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Adjusting the Relationships Around You
Today’s wise words come from Earl Purdy. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this particular quote: Whenever you make a shift in your consciousness there will be three shifts with the people/relationships around you: The people who leave because you no longer serve the purpose they wanted you for, the people who grow with you and stay in your life, and the relationships you actively choose out of because they no longer serve you. -Earl Purdy Sometimes we have to leave things behind. There are reasons to do it. Sometimes, people leave us behind. But the people who stay with us, love us, and want…
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A Piece of Short Fiction For Fiction Friday: “Time”
It’s been a while since I’ve posted any short creative fiction that I’m working on, and that’s primarily because I haven’t been working on any short fiction. I’ve been working on writing a novel, but all this talk about creativity in the classroom this week caused this story to pop into my head. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I seize the opportunity to make it work. I hope you enjoy it. TIME: A Short Story It was my idea to go. I needed to clear my head and take a break from the mundane, toxic, sad life that had enveloped us both and made us strangers…
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Relation-Ship Out
Remember when you were little and your parents or caregiver told you to “find the right friends” and hang around with others who have common interests—ultimately people who make you feel good about yourself and keep you from getting into trouble? They were spot on, you see. When you allow other people to infect your world with negativity, you’ve got to turn a blind eye to it, or do something more drastic. Like stay away from it altogether. This happens to people, both in the work setting and in our personal settings. It can grab hold of us whether it’s with a group of friends, one particular friendship, working relationships,…
