Feeling Small

Have you ever been utterly humbled in an area you thought you were succeeding at? That happened to me last month when I went to Dragonsteel Nexus 2025. I’d spent the previous few weeks reading the original Mistborn trilogy. Between reading Brandon Sanderson’s books, listening to the other authors at Dragonsteel, and seeing other indie

The Weaknesses of an Author

I’ve been told not to expose my weaknesses to anyone, lest they use them against me or think me a weak fool. I’ve been told I should make it look like I’m perfect, and everything is always well. I believed them, for a long time. But I realized something recently: I am an author. I

Titles Suck

This post started as a rant to my daughter one evening. She thought it was hilarious and has been bugging me ever since to post it. So here it is! I hate coming up with titles. They should all be banned and everyone shall henceforth be required to deduce the subject of a blog post

Salute to Veterans

As the wife of an active duty soldier, the granddaughter of a WWII veteran, and the niece of two War on Terror veterans, Veteran’s Day isn’t just a day for BBQ and friends to me. It’s a reminder that these things come at a cost–in lives and blood, yes, but also mental health, children’s milestones

Writing When Times Are Tough

When I first started writing in earnest, I read that Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson and other write daily, rain or shine, in sickness and in health. I heard that if you want to be a better writer, you need to make it a habit and write every day. The more I write, though, the

gifts for writers

Gifts for Writers

Hey everybody! Tis the season for wracking our brains for ideas on what to get each other for Christmas. I thought I’d put together a short list of gifts for writers that I’d personally appreciate, and it ended up…well, a little longer than I expected. There is a lot of cool stuff out there that