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Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop #28
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes! The hunt BEGINS on 3/14 at 11 am PST/noon...
Notebook Reviews: I have a problem.
Testing the waters here. I’ve really, really gone over the deep end when it comes to trying out every.single.notebook I see. I’m looking for the just right: Spine (does it lay flat?)Cover (is it soft and/or sturdy?)Paper quality (is it thick enough not to bleed ink,...
Really? Three Years Since My Last Post?
Yes. Nearly three years to the day. Interesting how the last post and this post correspond to a specific event in my life, the annual Summer Conference hosted by the Oregon Christian Writers. I wrote then, and I'll reiterate now, this event has had a huge impact in my...
Embracing the Latest Chapter
This past week, I attended the Oregon Christian Writer's Summer Conference. Well, sort of. This conference has been a part of my life -- a major part -- since 2009. I met some of my very best friends there. I found my amazing literary agent there. I worked for the...
Getting Real: The Ups and Downs of Working Full-time from Home (With a Baby and a Puppy)
Before I really begin, I’ll add in a disclaimer. I know I’m a bit crazy. Really. I fully admit that getting a puppy while raising an infant and working a full-time job is outrageous. No excuses, no justifications. However. I love my life. Even in the moments where I’m...
Starting Where You’re At
Writing is a muscle. A discipline. A calling, yes. But a practice. The more you do, the more readily it can come. The more smoothly. Not all the time. Writer’s block is a thing for a reason. But the blank page. The atrophy of “not having written”. These things can...
Lessons from Anthony: Check Your Expectations
In Rising Strong, Brene Brown shares how our expectations can set us up for disappointment when the reality turns out to be different from our (sometimes lofty or idealistic) expectations. This really hit home. Perhaps it’s the novelist in me. I frequently paint...
Puppy + Baby = Embracing Chaos
We did a rather silly thing this past week. And her name is Dany. Dany (short for "Daenerys Shelterborn") is an 8-week-old Shepherd/Cattle Dog/pitbull mix and she comes to us at such an interesting time in our lives. She's a sweet girl and very good (and smart) for a...
Dots and Threads: What is your ONE thing?
Funny things happen when you seek direction and clarity in your life. Sometimes you wander, grasping into a fog that may seem never-ending. Sometimes, lightning-bolt moments happen during a conversation, during a shower, during a movie. Sometimes, a book jumps out at...
Why, hello again!
Hello, blog. Long time, no see. It's been what? A little over a year? Gosh, you've changed. Me? Oh, you won't believe everything that's changed for me in the past year. Where do I even begin? I'm a whole new person. I'm complete. I'm, as Elizabeth Stone said, "forever...