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Brandi Easterling Collins, independent author

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High School Poetry

The Night

I wrote this one when I was 15. “The Night” 11-22-96 Deep in the night I had a dream, and in it everything was okay. I was thoroughly happy, and nothing could…

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July 24, 2016
General Thoughts, Pop Culture

2025 in Book Reviews

I met my goal of reading 75 books in 2025 while I also finished writing and editing my sixth novel, Four Hearts, which was released on December 16. Here are…

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January 4, 2026
Artwork, General Thoughts, Novels (my writing updates)

How much truth is in my fiction?

Writing what I knew as a teenager I loved reading when I was a kid, and I began writing as a teenager. The results of my early efforts were 7…

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December 2, 2023
  • Illustration of female singer with a guitar.
    General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    My 30 Favorite Female Singer-Songwriters

    November 13, 2023 /

    Female-led music that inspires me I’m an artist of the written word, and I adore music. It inspires my writing and helps me time-travel for stories I set in the past. Lyrics are poetry set to music with a universal quality to help us feel less alone in the world. My favorite songs come from talented singer-songwriters who share their work with the world. In prep for this post, I started listing female singer-songwriters with works I enjoy and soon had a huge list of over 40 talented ladies. It was too big of an undertaking, so I tried to cut the list down to my top 15, but I…

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    31 Comments

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    New year, new look, exciting news!

    January 13, 2018

    Almost-winter writing update

    December 8, 2019
    Illustrated race track scene with children driving cars at a starting line

    How Many Times Can You Start Over?

    February 16, 2025
  • Music studio control room and singer booth
    General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    Top 15 Cover Songs I Like Better Than The Originals

    October 23, 2023 /

    When an artist makes a song their own When artists release a song, they make it their own. I’ve always admired artists and bands who write their own material, but I also appreciate when a band or artist covers a song so well that I like it better than the original release. Here are my favorites and some honorable mentions. My top 15 favorite cover songs (in order) 1. “Hurt” covered by Johnny Cash Original release by Nine Inch Nails, written by Trent Reznor. Cash truly captures the meaning of this extremely personal song and makes it his own. The lead singer of NIN Trent Reznor and Cash never got…

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    2 Comments

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    Six months in: General updates

    January 25, 2017

    Update During Chaos

    March 28, 2020

    School Shootings

    February 24, 2018
  • Cast photo of "My So-Called Life"
    General Thoughts,  Pop Culture

    My So-Called Life: What the show meant to me then and now

    October 17, 2023 /

    Television habits before 1994 I grew up watching TV and movies rented on VHS tapes. As an avid reader, escaping into another world wasn’t uncommon for me, but there was just something about watching it on screen that evoked all my senses. When I was a little kid, I watched mostly cartoons: The Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite, The Care Bears, and of course, The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show. Later, I watched family-friendly shows with my mom, like The Wonder Years, Dr. Quinn, Home Improvement, and the TGIF line-up that included shows like Full House, Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Step by Step. And I can’t forget the…

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    Waiting for you: Layne’s Song for Jordan’s Sister

    September 14, 2016
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    Can High Goals Get in the Way of Contentment?

    April 18, 2025
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    Apologies and hurt feelings

    September 16, 2021
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Recent Posts

  • Believe It or Not, Getting Fat Isn’t the Worst Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me
  • Movies I Will Watch Again and Again
  • 2025 in Book Reviews
  • Embracing the Holidays
  • Four Hearts: Coming soon

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