I’m gutted. — I’m gutted. I’m going to keep this review spoiler free, but just know that this book affected me so much, I’m having a hard time picking up another book. The book hangover is real, y’all. Reminders of Him, the latest book by Colleen Hoover, published this week. This romance novel…

#1. You won’t get to quit your day job — Ever since I was a young writer, my ultimate dream was to write and publish my first book. I had visions of sitting in my beach house overlooking the ocean and pondering the waves with my laptop in front of me, with a creative mind full of ideas just waiting…

And yet, it’s the most productive part of my day. Here’s how I spend it. — Years ago, when I decided to take my author business seriously and publish one to two novels each year, the biggest change I made was to my morning routine. Instead of sleeping in until it was time to get ready for work, I set my alarm for two hours early…

I came into this traditional publishing journey expecting rejection, but I still had hopes I was wrong. — This morning I received my fourth agent query rejection. Combined with the two no responses, that makes six rejections so far for my novel. I came into this traditional publishing journey expecting rejection. It doesn’t make it any easier. While my expectations were on point, I still had my hopes…

I’m not afraid of the dark. It’s bigger than that. — Today, my coworker shared about how much he loves a quiet, dark house when he gets home from work. In the time before his wife gets home, he keeps the lights low and enjoys the quiet solitude. “You’re just like my husband,” I said, and then told him how my…

Even if you don’t write 50K in 30 days, NaNoWriMo can still kickstart your writing goals. — For many writers, November is for National Novel Writing Month, aka NaNoWriMo. This is when writers pledge to write a 50K novel in 30 days. The only way to do this is to set time aside every day for your writing. No excuses. No interruptions. Just daily writing until the…

Sure, diet culture and food restriction are terrible. But have you seen me around the break room goodies? — This week, I asked my Facebook friends to share what foods they would eat if there were no rules. And the comments were enough to make my mouth water. Pizza. Mozzarella sticks. Fried chicken. Red meat. And then one friend asked who was making these rules. My red flags started…

We all want to go viral. But there are plus sides to remaining smalltime. — My first article on Medium went viral. It was an accident, really. I guess I should have known better, but honestly, I just needed an anonymous space to write my feelings. I won’t go into detail, but it was regarding Trump and the Church, and you can read the rest…

What if someone looked at the way you spend your life? What would they say about your passions? — The beginning of a New York Times article on Tom Morello shares how he’s passionate about poetry and protest, which, if you know Rage Against the Machine, you know that at least the protest part is true. …