My son said something funny today that got me thinking. We were talking about some little collectible figures that he treasures. He mentioned that he had lost one of his favorites. I asked, “Lost, as in ‘it’s lost in your room somewhere or lost as in ‘you took it to the park and haven’t seen … Read More

It’s in the mail, it’s in the mail, Glory, Hallelujah, it’s in the mail! (Happy Dance!!!) Just in case you weren’t aware — I’ve been editing, rewriting and generally tearing apart the first 20 pages of Shaken in order to get it ready to send ahead to the critique panel at the Mount Hermon Christian … Read More

I have such great friends. Everyone has been so supportive lately as I whine about getting ready for Mount Hermon. Well, maybe “whine” isn’t the right word — more like panic. After spending the last week working on revisions to the first 20 pages of Shaken, I posted this stupid comment on Facebook: “After spending … Read More

Tell me how can I become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar. Trina Paulus. I read this quote, scrawled on a whiteboard, the first time I walked into a weight watchers meeting, in October of 2007. I was full of doubts. “This … Read More

Yesterday, I got a huge gift from a friend. Leiah has a background in publishing and I had twisted her arm into reading my manuscript. I can’t imagine how nerve-wracking this must be for a friend. “Okay, you want me to critique this? Are you SURE? Will we still be friends afterwards?” So, yesterday we … Read More

Today I got to play “model” for my friend, Bethany Haile. She is an awesome photographer who has recently started her own business. Even though I grew up the daughter of a photographer, it felt very strange to have the “focus” completely on me. But it was very fun to see Bethany at her best, … Read More

Okay, so if you haven’t read Part One: Bad Boy, Good Boy? then go read it. Or this will make NO sense to you! Yesterday I wrote how my mischevious son came to accept Jesus at a young age because the idea of sin and punishment made perfect sense to him. He understood the gift … Read More

My son spent much of his first few years sitting in the time out chair. He was an active kid and often learned his lessons the hard way. Throw a block at someone? Time-out. Knock your sister over? Time-out. Throw the cellphone in the toilet? Yep, you guessed it, time-out. He learned very quickly that … Read More

I’m not sure if this is true for everyone, or just for me. But I have a spiritual “back door.” And it’s unlocked. Maybe yours is too. When people try to teach me things, whether that be in school, bible study, well-meaning advice — whatever — I have locks. “NO!” I think. “I won’t be … Read More

I’ve been working lately on getting SHAKEN ready to pitch to agents and editors at the Mount Hermon Christian Writer’s Conference in April. I have discovered that publicizing, pitching and selling your writing is so much more intense than the writing itself. There are so many hoops you have to jump through. No longer does … Read More