On Tuesday, February 4, 2020, we celebrated our son, Jared’s 18th birthday. Our fourth child to enter adulthood, Jared is by no exaggeration the polar-opposite of his brother Dawson (I wrote about him for his 18th a few years back — see that post HERE.) While our ever-expanding family ate dinner in the center of Tucano’s Brazilian Grill, I briefly summarized how Jared came along right after we had overcome
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Will 2019 Be the Year I Finally Simplify and Enjoy Life?
As 2019 approached, I found myself melancholy as I reflected on all the major events and milestones in 2018. So many amazing things happened (so many I might forget one or two) — my older daughter’s second pregnancy announcement my other daughter getting engaged and getting married planning and executing a wedding in 6 months (with my daughters of course) hosting our grandson’s 2nd bday and the reveal that our
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When the Third One Left the Nest – The Differences Between Sons and Daughters
Maybe it’s because I’m the mom and he’s my son, but I had no idea it would be so hard to watch my boy leave home. After all, his sisters have been on their own for years and they are doing amazing. So, why did the smallest thought of him being on his own bring so many tears? I admit his dad and I haven’t done the best job allowing
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The Emotional Wound Thesaurus – Book Review
Because the fiction I write is based on my own past and overcoming emotional wounds, the discovery of The Emotional Wound Thesaurus was all the more important for me to learn to develop unique and layered female protagonists. Even though the conflict and themes of my current and future novels will somewhat reflect my own experiences, I also desire to write for and create relatable characters for women of all
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I Never Thought I Would Call My Son Beautiful
I come from a family of women. In 1999, women and girls outnumbered male cousins and spouses 2:1. During family gatherings, the females dominated with shrill excitement, disciplining the children, and more. Between my mom, her three sisters, and their one brother they had five daughters and two sons. At that moment in time, I was the only cousin with children, and had two daughters. When I was pregnant with
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TOP 10 Ways I Use Real Life to Inspire My Fiction Writing
I have lived a relatively profound life. Some things “happened” to me, and were beyond my ability to control. Others were the result of poor choices, ignorance, or a secret desire to create drama when I felt things were a little boring. As I have matured as a woman and in my walk as a Christian, I have realized that each experience–every defeat, hurt, or challenge–has led me to a
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5 Things I’ve Learned as a NaNo Noob
It was October 31 and the deadline for submitting my final draft to my publisher for No Eye Has Seen: Book 1 Beyond the Valley. During the previous week, I had psyched myself about finishing Book 1 and diving right into Book 2 by participating in National Novel Writing Month 2014. Last year, I signed up but that was about all. But this year, I felt I needed to follow through.
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Invest in the Dream: 4 Tips to Keep Writers Writing
Since being released from circumstances beyond my control, I have been working hard and writing and editing. The more I dig in, the more I feel energized in spirit, even when my mind and body are tired. Here are a few things I am learning are vital to improving my craft while understanding the always-changing market, trends, and publishing industry. 1) Read something, anything about the craft of writing DAILY.
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Now is the time for Joy, Abundance, Peace and Rest!
Before I took control of the battle of my mind and gave my circumstances over to God, finding the energy to write seemed impossible. My writing had been on the back-burner despite my initial reaction that job loss=more writing time. I have this need to get everything else done before I write. I rarely succeed. Eventually I give in, but by then I am tired and creativity is sparse. Worse than my normal “thinking”
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Writing as Child’s Play {Writer Mama Archives}
(In an effort to increase the frequency of my posts, I am digging through my unpublished writing archives and personal journal entries. Titles and Categories including the word “archives” indicate dated, yet relevant material.) March 2007 I recently did a thorough cleaning in my boys’ bedroom. I knew it was in need of a mother’s hand, since I had not cleaned it for weeks. Papers, clothes, books, trash, cups, Lego’s,