(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) Part 5/? We’re finally settled into our new home, which means additional tasks that suck time away from my writing and publishing, but I don’t mind. I’ve always loved weeding a garden, as long as the temps aren’t soaring in the upper 80s or 90s. I have my…
Category: Blog Posts
The Chronicles of Self-Publishing: 4th Part of My Journey
(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) Part 4/? In the last week or two of February, as well as all of March and April, I was far too absorbed with our move to even think about my manuscript. Instead, that time was spent searching for a new home, packing and sorting (our new home…
The Chronicles of Self-Publishing: Part 3 of My Journey
(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) So far in January/February 2022, I: • Got approval from the zoning board to operate a business out of my home and filed an application for a business license. • Purchased the domain name for my new business. (Get it quick, before someone else does! See note below.)…
The Chronicles of Self-Publishing: Part 2 of My Journey
(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) Part 2 of ? January 2022 (so far) So much has happened since my last post that I don’t know where to start. But I’ll give it a try. (Grab a cup of something…this post is long.) I continued (for a while) the “From First Draft to Bestseller”…
The Chronicles of Self-Publishing: Part 1 of My Journey
(or How I Did It, a “.doc”-umentary) Part 1 of ? In September of 2021, I attended the Hampton Roads Writers’ Conference, where Leslie Penelope gave a keynote presentation wherein she asked, “What is your ‘why’?” Her words, descriptive of her own journey, made me ask myself the same question. Why do I write? There…
The Monster Under My Desk
Being a writer is scary. What? you say. All you do is sit in front of a computer and type out a story. What’s scary about that? It’s because of the Monster. Let me take you on a little trip behind the scenes. Let’s say I have an idea for a story. I make notes,…
Dear God
Hello God, or Goddess, or Universe, or whatever name you wish to be called. I don’t have any requests today. I just wanted to say hello. I just wanted to say that I know you are there, because I am here. I wanted to reiterate that I choose to believe you are behind what…
Beans vs. Soup
It’s been almost a year since I last blogged. This may come as no surprise to many writers who’ve said they, too, felt as though their muse has been hiding under a blanket. In the closet. In that back corner that the light never seems to reach. Behind the boxes of clothes you always plan…
Lessons From a Late-Night E-mail
Last year during 2019’s NaNoWriMo (https://nanowrimo.org) I penned an entire medical sci-fi/ecofiction manuscript—Entheóphage—in thirty-seven days. In the months following, and with the help of many wonderful medical experts and beta readers, I honed the manuscript into a complete, focused tale. In mid-August of this year, I decided to submit the most recent draft to Pitch…
What’s That Mean?
On the night of my tenth-year high school reunion (many years ago), I was crossing a dark street with some classmates on our way to a local bar where we could catch up on each other’s lives. We glanced both ways and, seeing no immediate traffic, stepped out into the street at a leisurely pace….