writing
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The Catholic Series: My Next Challenge
Wondering what the Communion of Saints is? Read this article! As a writer, what I love most about telling stories is that it allows you to create people. With enough practice, you can make them so lifelike that readers will feel them to be like friends. This month, I’m wrapping up my trilogy on merpeople.…
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To Whom It May Concern
Let it be said of meThat my words wadedWhere the wavesDevour, Intent on saving youFor a new Day,For it was notYour Hour. I don’t believeI will meet you;I shall not KnowWho you are, Yet my words,Relentless, found you,Be it near or far. For those who found my work long aft I’ve faded like a flower,…
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5 Plants That Repel Pests
Many of my ideas hide out in the garden. I’ve been most inspired to write a poem when watching a butterfly perch on a daisy; the birdsong up in the trees above me rhymes more than anything I’ve been told to study for literature class. For those of you who, like me, are gardeners as…
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Prologue
Let it be said of me,“She was open, like a book.”& like a book,Some people can’t get muchFurther than page 1.I am a poem-volumeAmidst documents of war;The thrill explorers felt asTheir schooners left the shore. One day I’ll be a Favorite BookRead ‘neath the setting sun.For now, I’ll stay true to myselfAnd whisper my page…
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A PROVISION FOR LOVE by Heather Chapman
It has been a long while since I read a book that warmed my heart as much as this one did. A Provision for Love by Heather Chapman was too short, in my opinion. This might be a good thing; in many cases, the short books are more potent, finding their places in your heart…
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Creativity in Quarantine
I would love to say that I am #StayingAtHome, but I found this situation more complicated—and emotionally loaded. When we first arrived in Peru, we were staying in a hotel. This was where we were when, halfway into our trip, a quarantine and curfew were set; all of the stores closed. Any place that we…
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New Book – The Mermaid of Rose Hill – Out Soon!
Here is a photo of me with a case of lazy bed head, holding a proof copy of my new novel, which I plan to release this month. The Mermaid has been my project for the last two years or more. It began as an urban fantasy, but I decided to challenge myself and write…
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Art is Magic
Art is something that comes alive and seeks to change us forever. Wonder at how, so many years later, the Mona Lisa still has lines after lines of people impatient to see her smile. Think of how certain quotes from certain novels echo down through generations, while most of our own whispers vanish into oblivion.…
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Castles Brick by Brick
I am excited to be near the final edits for a project close to my heart. The Mermaid of Rose Hill has been through several amazing beta readers; from each of these people I’ve received fantastic bits of advice, enough to polish it off. Enough, perhaps, to release it soon. As you might expect, it…
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Imagine Success
2020 is young, and sweet progress is being made. I’ve written 10,000 words towards my first novella of the year. I am hoping for four of them. As I wade through the tale of Isolde and Gareth, I can’t help reflecting on how my writing process has changed since I began. It’s more mature; for…
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What Excuses are you Making?
On my iPhone, I have an app that generates writing prompts. Yesterday’s prompt was “What excuses are you making?” When those words popped up, at once I pictured dozens of things I’d convinced myself were more important than my writing. The foremost was, “Reading isn’t wasting time! Writers read.” Reading is important, but when it…
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Nine Ladies Dancing: Clinging to Youth
It’s frightening to grow up. Taking on responsibilities, leaving old habits behind, speaking of childhood in the past tense—it’s no wonder so many people take their time, whether or not they realize it. The world is a scary place, after all. I believe this message was the strongest theme for Nine Ladies Dancing, the fourth…
Mariella Hunt & the Tearoom 