Carry You
When Z and T were eighteen months old, we moved from a 900-square foot apartment to a four-bedroom, two-story house. The girls took little time to adjust to the new territory, with the exception of a set of stairs. The two steps from the living room to the sunken family room were met with glee.…
Read MoreThink Like a Writer in 10 Minutes A Day
It’s not often I have a guest actually write for the blog. This is my space after all. But sometimes, I believe in writers so much that I want to directly share and promote their work. And today is one of those days. I’m so pleased to have Katharine Grubb here today. Katharine is an…
Read MoreSummer Check-In
A day ago, an acquaintance asked on social media how everyone was doing. I rarely spill much on social media, but I hadn’t seen this person in about eighteen years, and she was seriously asking how her people were doing. In addition, I figured it was time for another check-in. Back in April, at the…
Read MoreAn Interview with Lainey Cameron
Anyone who is even lurking on the outskirts of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association has probably heard the name Lainey Cameron before. She’s an involved member of the group: she served as Head of Writing Workshops and then Vice President of Programs for the last three years. In 2020, she stepped back from the administrative…
Read MoreBacked Up
After I had kids, my digestive system changed. Meaning regularity couldn’t be counted upon, and no amount of fruits or vegetables helped. But I wasn’t ready for Metamucil, so I decided to take magnesium instead. It seems to work, and for now, I can’t complain. I’m no longer backed up when it comes to my…
Read MoreBirthday Learning
Dear Melina, Back in March, when we celebrated Daddy’s birthday quarantine-style, I’m not sure I really understood that we’d be celebrating your birthday in a similar manner. But here we are, 107 days (!) later, and we’re choosing to shelter-in-place as much as possible. I personally haven’t found the quarantine all that disruptive to my…
Read MoreSunday Musings
A new website means a new way of doing things. Which isn’t what this habitual person likes to think about. New ways? I might only be in my forties, but honestly, I’ve been set in my standard protocols since I was born. Okay, there might have been that period of time right after the doctor…
Read MoreWhat’s New? (That Fateful Day)
Father’s Day. 2012. A trip to the grocery store. Me. The man behind me in line. He and I spoke for two minutes before I left the store, headed to my car, and drove away. I thought about that innocent conversation for the time it took to drive home. And then, before I could even…
Read MoreWhen I Grow Up
Many years ago, when my twins—who turned eighteen in January—first discovered The Magic School Bus series, I remember thinking, “When I grow up, I want to be Ms. Frizzle.” Ms. Frizzle is the hilarious, knowledgeable science teacher who makes learning fun and takes her students on fabulous adventures (to the ocean floor, inside the human…
Read MoreAn Interview with Shuly Xóchitl Cawood
Writing communities are vital to the health and well-being of an author and their works. One of the most robust writing communities lives here in the Dayton area: the friends, supporters, attendees, and faculty of the Antioch Writers’ Workshop. Shuly Xóchitl Cawood has been a part of that workshop, as attendee, speaker, and supporter. And that’s where…
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