Monday, November 30, 2015

A Whole Lot of Happenings Going On

This is a whirlwind time of year. Just put up our tree yesterday. Advent starts tomorrow. I’m excited to announce some key things I’ll be involved with in the coming days.
Join me at my Facebook Party December 10th @ 7:00pm (party runs all afternoon & starts at 1pm). Come hang out with a cool group of authors. Ask questions and join the discussion for a chance to win free books. Perfect time for the holidays!



My Goodreads Giveaway launches late tomorrow night – December 14th. I’m giving away 3 copies of The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win! And please help spread the word.
Hey look, my book made the local paper. Woot!


Finally, local friends, come buy your own signed copy of my books at the following Vendor Fairs this week. Would love your support!
Buttonball Lane: Tues. Dec. 1st 3-6pm
Hopewell: Fri. Dec. 4th 5:30-7:30pm


Whew! As if this time of year isn’t busy enough. ;-) *See you back here on the 14th!

Monday, November 23, 2015

A Word about Quitting


Why can’t I be more of a quitter? There are days I really want to desert this road to publication. The
temptation to bail hits me hard. I convince myself I’m not cut out for the life of a writer.

Things get particularly daunting when I have to make the difficult decision to move on from an agent, or a close friend receives a drool-worthy offer, or I read my stuff and seriously consider shredding it and feeding it to the dog.

Eventually, a powerful message rises to the surface and riptides my thoughts.

You aren’t a soccer player but you are a writer.

Now, if you’ve visited my blog much, you know I’m far from a mathematician and you might be scratching your head trying to work out the logic behind what I just wrote. There isn’t an A + B = X (or whatever) equation that makes sense of the soccer player/writer sentence. There’s just life.

Let me explain.

I played travel soccer for my entire childhood. I was a teenager when I made the spontaneous decision to quit playing. I loved soccer. I still love the sport and have a blast cheering on my kids when they play. I can honestly say quitting soccer is one of the few regrets I have in life—regret squared because I quit for the wrong reasons.

I took my eyes off of the most important thing—my experience with the sport. I stopped playing because my older sister was better. I’m not making this up. She really was. She was All-American, met Pele, got a full ride scholarship for her skills, and eventually went on to play against Mia Hamm in college. She was a soccer rock star. I was solid. And I should have stuck with it. For the love of the sport. Sometimes I wonder what would have been. . .

Fast forward several decades and you have me, a writer, fiercely dedicated to my craft, though still facing that familiar temptation to bow out. It’s so easy to get sidetracked, believing others are better, garnering more attention, that they have something I don’t. They do have something I don’t. And I have something they don’t. The stories inside me. In the way that only I can tell them.

Right at the moment when I feel like the biggest writer schmuck on the planet, I tend to find some humor-filled way to immerse myself in my current project. I coach myself in Star Wars talk, “Stay on target” or I Church Lady-myself until I get in my word count, remembering all of the positive affirmations that I’ve encountered along this Yellow Brick Road (paved with flying monkey poop…it’s funny to me. Writers have a bit of an absurd and well-timed ability to entertain ourselves. We’re alone a lot…it’s part of the gig).

And when the humor wears off and the word count is complete and I’m left with my Tilt-A-Whirl brain, I’m met with a choice. Day in. And day out. Ride the self-doubts? Or hop off so I can get busy doing what I love?

I decide. Every day I decide.

I’m not a soccer player. But I am a writer.

*Pic is of me in my glory soccer days. P.S. It was the 80s. That’s how everyone wore their shorts! ;-)


Monday, November 16, 2015

Book Clubs—Still Going Strong

Last week I visited with a group who’d read and discussed my book, The Flower Girls. I took so much away from our conversation. I loved how each member began to open up about their own sibling relationships. It was a complete blast for me to be in on that book club. I’ve been invited into the conversations and dynamics of twenty-six groups over the past two years and it simply never grows old.
I’m also still thoroughly enjoying my time with my own book clubs. I rarely miss. The conversations make me feel alive and the connections spur me on in life.
If it wasn’t obvious already, I’m a huge fan of book clubs. And I’m willing to bet I’ll be saying the same thing forty years from now.
Speaking of book clubs, the next three months would be the perfect time for your book club to choose my latest work, The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James. It’s a shorter read with an emotional element worth talking about. Please let me know if you’d like me to partake in any way. I like to bring gifts, wine, extra books, and behind-the-scenes insight on the book being discussed. {I’ve Skyped with a handful, too, so I’m open to that as well.}

Let’s go clubbing!

Monday, November 9, 2015

This Is 40

Over the weekend I had the rare opportunity to gather with friends to celebrate my fortieth birthday. It was a low-drama, rock-out, memorable night. I realize I’m in the midst of promoting my most recent work, The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James and I do hope you’ll check it out. But I wanted to take a brief break from promoting in order to express gratitude for the people in my life who’ve encouraged me, inspired me, and allowed me to be fully who I am (which trust me can be scary sometimes...on all levels).





Your friendship, your love matters to me. It changes me.


Thank you.

“She is a friend of my mind. She gather me, man. The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.”
~ Toni Morrison, Beloved

Monday, November 2, 2015

Pub Day for Ellory James

The Short & Sincere Life of Ellory James is now for sale at Amazon. Paperback or ebook. Great choice for book clubs, Christmas gifts, treat-yourself-days, etc.!
Purchase your copy today!

If you fall in love with Ellory & Pete the way that I did, share your thoughts by writing a review on Amazon &/or Goodreads.

What are you waiting for? Ellory is waiting for you to meet her!

Taking Time

college applications                 homecoming                            flag football                basketball             SATs   ...