Despite writing now being my full-time job, I managed to put off writing my NaNo words yesterday until late. My husband was delighted to be able to make jokes about me "having one job" and "working overtime". I SQUEEZED out like 500 words before dinner, and then, while having dinner and playing a game, managedContinue reading "NaNoWriMo Day 2: Painful Progress"
National Novel Writing Month: It Begins
I know my weekly post isn't due until Wednesday, but guess what? It's National Novel Writing Month! And you all know that means I always blog more than usual. So, I've decided to forego the "proper" technique of doing blog posts on a schedule for the month and post as much as I want toContinue reading "National Novel Writing Month: It Begins"
Dear Mr. Knightley
In August, I read the book Dear Mr. Knightley after a friend recommended it to me. I was skeptical at first because I knew it was based on Daddy Long-Legs, which I didn’t like much. But, well, God works in mysterious ways? Dear Mr. Knightley is about a girl (named Sam) who had a difficultContinue reading "Dear Mr. Knightley"
What I didn’t know about Querying
We surveyed the kitchen and looked at each other with our dismal future reflecting in each other’s eyes. “What should we do?” my brother asked. My sister and I shook our head. Anything had to be better than this. Plates, cups, silverware, pots, pans, and food everywhere. Sometimes, Easter dinner just wasn’t worth it. EspeciallyContinue reading "What I didn’t know about Querying"
Finding Raspberries
“Raspberries! Raspberries!” The general cry of delight was enough for Papa to stop the suburban on our way to town so that we could scramble out. Living deep in the forest, an hour or two from any civilization, had its perks. If you have never experienced a wild raspberry plucked straight from a bush inContinue reading "Finding Raspberries"
Redefining Success
It’s been awhile since I’ve spoken about writing. There’s a reason for this. I felt like all I did for awhile there was whine. I whined so much about how hard it was to adjust to my new life, that I was sick of even thinking about my own whining, let alone writing about it.Continue reading "Redefining Success"
Pioneer Days. . . and Camping
Remember the simple days? Before phones, electricity, running water. . .Those days, like in Laura Ingalls Wilder, when people built their own houses, and lived on the land. You don't? Well, I do. Okay, maybe not those ones specifically, since I may have been born after electricity and running water was invented, but I canContinue reading "Pioneer Days. . . and Camping"
The Dark of the Night
I cowered in the closet, clutching the baby in my arms. I could hear both men out there, searching, slow and dogged. I hugged the baby closer, silently begging it not to cry. The men had already killed everyone else in the house. Surely, I could save this one child. Click. Click. One came closer,Continue reading "The Dark of the Night"
Everyday Idylls
I stopped, gasping for breath, gaping up at the sky in complete, utter wonder. No one would ever believe me. So no one but my diary learned about that moment for many years. I was ten or eleven. My family and a few others were walking back to the ranch after visiting the large gardenContinue reading "Everyday Idylls"
Manure, Roses, and Research
I almost gagged as the scent hit me. As bad as if there were dead animals buried in the foot or so of manure, the smell permeated not just the air around me and my siblings, but anything within a few feet of the barn. We looked at each other, and, I would say tookContinue reading "Manure, Roses, and Research"
Forest Idylls 