I couldn't decide what to blog about this month and it didn’t become clear to me until I started working on the graphics. I started out with a background. But what would make the picture more interesting? An old house? Who do you think lives there? An old man or woman with lots of stories to tell? Or maybe someone who enjoys the isolation—a retired celebrity, perhaps. … [Read more...] about Cliffhanging
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Don’t Dog the Hot Days
Happy sauna day. It’s hot. In fact, where I live, we’ve had weeks of temperatures over 100 degrees. But it is almost July 23 after all—the exact middle of Dog Days. As a kid, I heard stories about Dog Days from my dad and his siblings. The one I remember most had to do with my dad stepping on a nail and having to soak his foot in kerosene because—as if stepping on a nail … [Read more...] about Don’t Dog the Hot Days
Dangerous
I can’t remember how old I was when I decided to roller skate down our steep driveway. In retrospect, it was a bad idea and I have the facial and emotional scars to prove it. Then there was the time (a few years later) that I decided to try crossing my arms while riding my bike. “What could go wrong?” Well, everything. For some reason, my brain didn’t connect that my left hand … [Read more...] about Dangerous
It Ain’t Just a River in Egypt
Several years ago, I wrote a short story called “One Last Time” about a young woman who couldn’t seem to stop lying. Whenever she lied, she promised herself it would be the last time—that she would always tell the truth going forward. But if someone asked her a question, she couldn’t seem to resist the urge to fabricate a life she wished was really hers using a story she made … [Read more...] about It Ain’t Just a River in Egypt
Trusting Your Instincts
Have you ever let fear keep you from doing something? If that something is physically dangerous, then fear might be the first step toward your survival. But what if the something you’re afraid of can’t physically hurt you? What if the fear of it holds you back—keeps you from moving forward or enjoying life to its fullest? Shortly after I started my first novel, I saw an ad … [Read more...] about Trusting Your Instincts