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After Two Years, We Almost Have Lift Off
What is the process you go through to publish a novel? I'm sharing mine. Warning: there are a lot of steps.
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Sunday Positive Thoughts (Post The Chosen)
It’s been nice to hear that many of you were inspired by my recent post about how moved I was by the The Chosen, a series about the life of Jesus Christ from the perspective of his disciples. I’m so glad that you have decided to watch it. Certainly, with what is happening in Ukraine right now, combined with it being the Catholic Lenten Season, as I often say out loud, we could all use some of Jesus’s teachings of kindness and love right about now. Additionally, instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to focus on doing positive things. The first is that I downloaded the Hallow…
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Podcast 2: The Things I’ve Learned—Work Ethic is Everything
Episode 2 of THE THINGS I’VE LEARNED FROM PODCAST is here. Today’s Topic: Work Ethic is EVERYTHING Spotify Link here. Transcript is below: I consider myself lucky. Securing my first job as a sophomore in college with a Major League Baseball team changed my life, and all for the better. As I mentioned in last week’s podcast, I was lally-gagging my way through college until I found a new major and a new purpose. Do you remember what it is like to be 19 and naive? Nineteen and floundering, unsure as to where you will go or what you will do in life? Wondering to yourself what college will teach…
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Empty Nesters in Training
You know how it goes. You date, you marry, you have children, you raise them, they grow up and go to college or enter the workforce, and you find yourselves at home, twiddling your thumbs. So say some. We love our kids, don’t get me wrong. We dote on them and help them with anything they need. But they’re happy. They’re at college with their friends and significant others, and they’re having the time of their lives. So why shouldn’t we? Everyone loves to talk about empty-next syndrome (ENS) as if it’s a curse of sorts. I say, let freedom ring! Don’t you remember that feeling of being able to…
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Escape to Italy and Meet Anna, Matteo, and Nicolo
Anna in Tuscany – A Valentine’s Read .99 on Kindle You’ve suffered through two failed relationships. You’re not sure you believe in love anymore. Then, as a travel writer, your editor sends you to Italy for a year to write about the regions. When you arrive, you meet Matteo, an older gentleman who has lost his wife. In search of a story for your first assignment about Valentine’s Day in Italy, you begin to uncover a love story that changes the way you feel about love. And maybe a little love walks into your life, as well. Such is the premise of ANNA IN TUSCANY, a little novelette to put…
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Things I Learned From…
It’s hard to believe my daughter is going into her second semester of her sophomore year of college at Towson University. When I was exactly her age at this point in my college career at Towson, my life changed. I was, like her, a second semester sophomore who had changed majors from Business Administration to Mass Communication. I heard other students in my new major talking about their cool internships—at television stations, event venues, and Baltimore’s newspaper. Hearing them talk about these awesome experiences caused me to get off my duff and get serious. I mailed off a letter to the Baltimore Orioles and within a couple of weeks, I…
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Book Review: The Stranger in the Lifeboat by Mitch Albom
Last night I started reading Mitch Albom’s newest book called The Stranger in the Lifeboat. I finished it this morning. I adore Mitch Albom’s knack for telling a good story. Years of journalistic writing make him an exceptional, concise, tight storyteller. His books unfold with ease, with just the right amount of wonder combined with thought-provoking content. The plot of this book is this: In a dire situation if you called out for God’s help, would you believe in Him if a human form appeared and said He was the Lord? Such is the case with a yacht that goes under at sea and only a handful of people survive…
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Juggling Projects & New Author Photo
I’ve been writing books for a while, but I’ve never been writing two novels simultaneously, while also shopping out a completed manuscript (my 6th book, titled The Letters in the Books). I’ve been working all summer on these projects, and it’s taking more discipline than ever as I juggle these three stories. I’m not complaining. I love it. It is so much fun to be able to get lost in storytelling—to invent characters that mirror real life people. Additionally, the two projects I’m working on take place in the past; one in particular is historical fiction. I also just joined BookBub and am about to investigate BookFunnel. Marketing never sleeps…
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New Travel Article on Maryland Road Trips
This summer, I’m doing something I’ve never done before. I’ve signed on to be a contributor to Maryland Road Trips. My second article has just been posted, and I’d love for you to take a read. Maryland has a lot to offer, as I was telling my cousins from New Mexico who were in town this weekend. Our state offers beaches, mountains, rivers, access to Baltimore and Washington, D.C., the state capital of Annapolis, the Chesapeake Bay, and offers wonderful proximity to Philadelphia, New York, Boston, as well as southern states such as Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The website marylandroadtrips.com specifically focuses on travel within our state. Honestly,…
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Sentimentality Run Amok
I can’t help it. It happens every time. Every single time. Even though I live and breathe baseball vicariously through my husband, who works for the ballclub, when I go to Camden Yards, it’s as if I never left. Be forewarned: take me to Camden Yards, and I get sentimental. With the pandemic seeping into every aspect of our lives, I haven’t been to the ballpark in a year and a half. On Friday night, our family enjoyed a lovely outing and got to spend time “at the yard,” as Orioles fans like to say. Luckily for us, the team had a big win Friday night over the Nats and…
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Hold Fast to Dreams: An Update!
We all dream of seeing our book go out into the world and having people enjoy reading it. I’m proud of the work I’ve accomplished as an indie author. And I will be proud of the work I produce going forward if I stay in this lane. It’s never easy, but there are tremendous rewards. Meeting people, seeing the support of your local community, and hearing from people who’ve enjoyed your books keep me motivated. My goal is to write books that offer hope and to write better and better books each time. To those of you who have followed along on my journey, THANK YOU. To those of you…
