Let Trumpets Sound
I'll be honest.I haven't blogged lately because I was busy wallowing in the Pits of Despair. I was paralyzed, because perfection continued to elude me. Every time I touched the keyboard, I wasn't sure...
View ArticleMy First Rejection
Both times, my first rejection stung. It's personal, and there's nothing you can do about it.22 years ago, I was in first grade, crushing on the precise penmanship and beguiling eyes of Justin Davies....
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A Good Yarn
Allow me to spin you a good yarn. I promise, these knitting tips will help make sense of a writer's psyche.I've recently taken up knitting, a hobby which provides visual progress during a season in...
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Goat Milk Soap
What to do when waiting on contracts: make soap, of course!Read on for an amusing adventure of soapmaking, and living vicariously through my intrepid home crafts.Every soap-making article I read...
View ArticleThe Long Wait
Waiting.When is the last time you've really waited months for something?A job offer? A house?A child? Waiting for bad news is worse.A prognosis.A court case.Waiting is hard. You can distract yourself...
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Spring 2017 Books
The Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen My rating: 4 of 5 stars I absolutely loved the first book of this trilogy, then I had to fan my flagging enthusiasm for the second. This last book does a...
View ArticleFirst Full Request
Waiting pays off! So does strategy.It occurred to me that people who have an interest in textile crafts, like sewing, knitting, spinning, weaving, embroidering, and crochet would enjoy that aspect of...
View Article#PitMad & Query Stats
June 8, 2017 - #PitMad Twitter ContestFor those who don't know, there is a new way to query agents. Rather than spend hours researching each one, tailoring your query letter & submission docs and...
View ArticleLessons from Screenwriting
SHHH—don't tell anyone, but I've been hired to co-write a screenplay! I am new to the secretive pre-production world of the silver screen, so I had to ask my co-writer how much I'm allowed to...
View ArticleA Tempered Heart
It's been 5 months since I started querying. I freely admit that it's been just as hard as my fellow writers warned it would be. To date, I've sent out 41 queries. Of these:CLOSED/REJECTED:8 no...
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#PimpMyBio for #PitchWars
Hello, fellow #PitchWars mentors and mentees! This is my first year participating, so here's my #PimpMyBio.I write fantasy. For this year's Pitch Wars, I'm entering my genre-blending debut, a...
View ArticleQuery Advice for Writers Ready to Start the Querying Process
If you Google "query advice", there's already a lot of great tips out there. Let me save you the trouble. Here are the ones I found most helpful.Query vs. Request; don't screw up your subject line. If...
View ArticleSIWC 2017 & Query Update
SIWCThis year marked the Surrey International Writer Conference's 25th anniversary, and my fourth consecutive attendance. So good to see old friends, make new ones, and listen to some really...
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Notable Reads of Summer 2017
Pregnancy replaced Reading with baby paraphernalia research This fall, but I did enjoy several great books last summer. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale My rating: 5 of 5 stars Hale is quickly becoming...
View ArticleThere's Something About the Number 26...
What's your favourite number?Mine's 3. And 7.Yes, I have two. But after tomorrow, I might change it.When I was 12, my sixth grade teacher challenged us to predict our futures. I fully expected to be a...
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Why I Stopped Using Homemade Laundry Detergent
"I'm only spending $0.001 per load—yes, a tenth of a cent! I don't understand why anyone would buy commercial laundry detergent!"That's what I said over 2 years ago—November 2015—when I brewed a 1...
View ArticleThe Last 10% (on Finishing Things Well)
37 weeks pregnant. The last hour of a marathon. The last week at a job. The final final final draft of a manuscript. Whatever it is you're finishing, that last 10% always seems to be the hardest.I have...
View ArticleMatrescence
Becoming a Mother—In one short week, two become three. What was inside is outside. All our research, wonderings, and knitted things are now in play.Sleep-dazed nightslit by the salt lamp’s rosy...
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Postpartum Superpowers — How a Selfish Introvert Adapts to Motherhood
This time last year, I wasn't even sure if I was ready for motherhood.As a freelancer, I spent 90% of my week working alone. I chose how I spent my time. I could say yes to work that interested me, and...
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Buttermilk & Bastille: Two Olive Oil Soap Recipes
Making soap is pretty rewarding: you can take a few pretty innocuous ingredients and, with some careful measurements and a lot of stirring, end up with a beautiful, chemical-free product that's cheap...
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