Forty-three years later, and I’m still dealing with the HOARD! Ugh.

As a little girl, we lived in destitute conditions because they couldn’t stop buying. Now, I’m all grown up and we’re having to go through a four bedroom, 3 bath house searching out our valuables: pictures, documents, and a few family heirlooms. The rest has been ruined by rat and canine feces. When we find

Laundry Life Hack #1 Hanging Shirts Quickly

Piles of laundry you hate folding or hanging? Well, today, I’m going to give you my secret to hanging a pile of shirts quickly. As you fold clothes out of the dryer, do you ever think to yourself, “There’s got to be a faster way?” I found the fastest way ever. As you’re pulling those

Mercy…God’s Love Given without Expecting Anything in Return

Listening to a preacher speak on Mercy on 106.9 helped me so much, yesterday. My husband and I reach out to people and animals in our neighborhood and outlying areas, and there are times we get bit for it. The wounds are still fresh, and at times hurt so bad, they urge me to stop

Over…Overused? (Editing Tips)

Editing out the word over isn’t hard to do. Test the sentence to see if it can work without it. Most instances, it can. Don’t: I shoved the tray over closer to her. Do: I shoved the tray closer to her. Don’t: She slid over beside me. Do: She slid beside me. Don’t: I sauntered

Editing: Filler Words

Editing is a daunting task. There are so many things one doesn’t realize needs to go. Filler words are one of the most important things you can strike from your document. Here is short list to go by: Just Very Really Literally Quite Perhaps In order Actually Rather Stuff That You don’t always need to

It’s not about the presents; It’s about the presence…

I could have chosen a happy family with Christmas decorations saturating a warm festive room, but we all know that’s not exactly how all Christmases go. But hey, it’s family and it’s ours, so we love them. And being with them is what matters for Christmas. A lot of times, I get too carried away

Marketing Your Novel

I’ve learned so much about marketing over the last few weeks. Having good contacts is priceless. I’ve made new friends through Facebook, so it’s been wonderful to pick author’s brains on how to get your novel out there. Make a newsletter. A site like mailchimp.com is a wonderful way to start. It’s user friendly and

Editing Tips For Writers of Fiction

Some of my favorite advice to give writers when editing their work is to cut 1/3 of their work after they’ve gone through the first draft process. This speeds pace, nails down conciseness, and keeps your reader turning that page. The worst thing in the world to happen to an author, other than terrible reviews,

Ever After Giveaway!

This week I am giving away a signed copy of Ever After to two lucky winners. All you have to do to enjoy the first novel in the Cursed Series is: Like my Facebook Author Page. Share my Facebook Author Page on your wall. Answer this question in the comment section of my blog: What

Writing: For whom are you creating the story…

When you lose sight of who you started writing for, it’s not hard to lose your focus and find yourself chained up with a bad case of writer’s block. There are many days I find myself staring at a blinking cursor. If I wallow in self-pity long enough eventually I ask myself who I’m writing