The Kickstarter is almost here! Born in one of the most creativity-nurturing places I know, the Compass of Creation oracle deck took root in my mind and refused to let go. Last fall, I spent nearly a week at the Writer’s Colony in Eureka Springs, deep in the flow, shaping each image, each card, and every concept until I had 54 cards ready to become reality. The four suit cards joined them later. And then? I returned home, and my days were filled with the hard work of renovati

I'm nearly to the middle of audio edits on the Permission to Create audio series. And honestly, it makes me so happy to be editing this! Audio edits tend to put me to sleep. Not in a "wow, my voice is so boring it encourages unconsciousness" but the way I have to listen and adjust and somehow NOT be thinking about other things at the same time. It just doesn't work. I have to focus on the audio edits and tell my ever-busy mind to shut up for a while, and that is hard. What ca

A couple of years ago I started the tradition of taking at least one week a year and going to a writing retreat. While visiting Eureka Springs, Arkansas for our wedding anniversary, I discovered the Writer's Colony completely by accident. If you love Victorian architecture and small town vibes, Eureka Springs is truly inspiring. My heart felt happy there, surrounded by artsy fartsy types, 1800s buildings, and cracked sidewalks. And inside one of the bookshops, I started talki

Today, May 17th, I turn 56, which still takes me by surprise. In kind of a, "holy cow, I'm more than half a century old?!" The older I get the more I realize that age truly is just a number. This month has been full, and will continue to be full, and all weekends are booked with activities. My life, my heart, and my home(s) are full as well. And I figured I was overdue for a post and update, so here it is. Subscribers get even more updates, links to free books (and free short

At the beginning of this week, I had such high hopes for getting a LOT of audio edits done. But then there were a couple of personal dramas that had me already asking on Monday if this week that felt like a month could please be done with. And then Tuesday came waltzing in. Stove No Worky Worky Ding! My phone sounds with a message from one of Cottage East's guests asking if they could use the stove. Alex is at work, so I'm handling messaging. Oh yes, that's perfectly fine, I

We're... I started to say "We are done working on Cottage East." But that isn't entirely accurate. We still have a yard to landscape (I just tossed out plenty of mini-clover seed today), and a fence to build. A couple of little inconsequential fixes still, but... yeah... the house is functioning for the first time, tonight, as a rental property. About an hour ago, I welcomed Cottage East's first guest. The emotion that wells up in me just thinking about it is quite literally

I'm moving through audio edits again, staring at the dates of the audio narration and trying not to feel guilt over not getting them done sooner. I recorded Zarmina's World in late October, and here it is, early April, and I'm just now getting to the edits! The work on Cottage East has taken so much more time, and a hell of a lot more money, than I ever anticipated, but there you go. Such is the way of these things, and a good reason why I wouldn't want to do home renovation

I was driving back home last night from pool league and I could just feel the anxiety ratcheting up. Usually, I'm in a good mood, having indulged in one of my favorite activities. It doesn't take much to make me happy, really. I love... Reading a good book Running a new story through my brain Shooting pool Eating amazing food Learning something new But recently? Let's just say there's a lot on the line. And I'm flat out scared it won't work. That my dream, my vision for our f

I just finished reading an essay by Stephanie Land, author of Maid, which was turned into a Netflix series. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Here is the link to find it on Amazon . All I can say is that when I watched it, and later read it, I cried buckets of tears. It reminded me of my early adulthood. It reminded me of how far I have come. Another time, I may speak fully about this. It is filled with painful memories, and my psyche has to be in a solid place b

Why Goal-Planning Is My Winter Sunshine It’s that time of year again: goal-planning season, also known as “the one bright spot in the frozen wasteland of winter.” Spring will always have my heart with its wild weather and first flower buds, but dreaming up a new year of possibilities comes in a very close second. While the days are short, the sky is gloomy, and everything outside feels like it’s made of ice, planning the year ahead makes me smile. There’s something about nami

Don't look at me like that. I couldn't help myself! To review, what I should have been doing today was something that looked like this... Audio edits NEED to be done. I have 30 days (yes, that's a self-imposed deadline) to complete the audio edits for three books and upload them to all the major audiobook places so they will release at the same time as the last two books in the series drop on January 1st. But instead of doing that, I spent today writing ad copy and creating v

Really they are all the same. Pretty much. Sort of. I should be editing audio. Instead? I fell down an Easter egg rabbit hole. In fact, I've just told myself (quite sternly) that this post will be interspersed with audio edits. So here goes... [wanders away for first round of edits] Well, I took a shower, moved some extra sheet sets around, and shopped for bath wraps. Seriously, get to those edits! [disappears again] Six minutes of edited audio after I started a cabbage soup

The fireplace mantel in my dining room Urff... I've been sick, sick, SICK! On the 5th day of having a painfully sore throat, I went to...

Let's start with the good news, shall we? The Liberty Fall Fest was amazing yesterday! KC Book Beat, a local organization that helps...

I spent five days at a truly magical place. Every morning I'd wake up, try to make actual coffee come out of the coffeemaker (I've got a...

My Kickstarter went live yesterday. Less than five minutes after that, a super-backer backed the ultimate reward tier - the Sagan Base...

For those of you who don't know, I'm not just an author, I'm also a short-term rental owner and operator. My Airbnb sits at the far end...

I love dystopian stories, how about you? Contrary to expectations, dystopian fiction isn't all about bleakness and darkness. At its core,...

I was listening to the podcast Ink in Your Veins and she asked her guest, another writer, how she gets motivated to write. Which...

A child of the 70s, I remember watching Terminator when it came out. Side note: Of the dozens of times I've seen the movie, I still look...