• Green piggy bank
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    Finances and Frugality in a World Where Everything Costs a Freakin’ Fortune

    Let’s talk about some F-words (no, not that F-word). Let’s discuss finances, fortune, and frugality. I’m not a financial advisor, but I wanted to share some thoughts about money and some practices that have worked for my family. Finances Money. We need it to live, but everyone makes different amounts of it. And we all have different financial situations, systems, and priorities. Some of us budget every penny and others are comfortably wealthy or don’t care to keep track of spending. Some people spend, and some people save. Some are good at both. Then there’s debt, and credit scores, and debt-to-income ratios. What’s good debt vs. bad debt? Do you…

  • General Thoughts,  Novels (my writing updates)

    Indie Author Marketing

    Part of being an author is marketing. Both traditionally and independently published authors have to deal with a lot of our marketing efforts. We have to maintain websites, keep our social media accounts updated, speak at events, and just generally sell our writing—our voices. By nature, a lot of writers are naturally introverts, which creates a bit of a dilemma when we’re required to promote ourselves. Indie authors face the unique challenge of marketing with little-to-no budget. And unless you’re Stephen King or J.K. Rowling, even some traditionally published authors face the same problem. We must handle a certain amount (or all) of our marketing on the budget set forth…

  • General Thoughts

    Daydreaming: The lottery

    With a Mega Millions jackpot that will likely reach $2 billion before the next draw on the evening of Tuesday, October 23, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about what my husband and I would do if we won the lottery. The whole thought of it is overwhelming and exciting all at the same time. We’re occasional lottery players in our house. My husband and I buy a $2 ticket now and then when the mood strikes us and additional ones until the large jackpot is rewarded for times when it gets huge. The chances of winning are astronomically low, but it’s not like we’re basing our entire future…