• Book cover featuring woman standing on a stage with text: When Does Life Begin?
    General Thoughts,  Novels

    Writing update: When Does Life Begin? publication and sneak peek

    Writing update for When Does Life Begin? I’ve spent the last few months finishing and editing my fifth novel, When Does Life Begin? It’s been a long process from its original draft when I was still a kid to what it is now. As long as everything goes well with the physical proof, the novel will be available on September 23, 2023, in both paperback and Kindle formats on Amazon.com. Read more about my other four novels. History of the story I dreamed up Lydia Dawson (once spelled Dahson) in early 1995 when I was 13 years old. Officially, it was the first novel I started as a teen, but it…

  • 2022 My Year in Books
    General Thoughts

    2022 in Books

    In 2022, I met my Goodreads reading goal of 110 books (just barely)! Here are my top 10 fiction reads for the year, all of which I rated at 5 stars.   Fox Creek (Cork O’Connor, #19) William Kent Krueger Orphan Train Christina Baker Kline Heart Bones Colleen Hoover The Keeper of Lost Things Ruth Hogan Breathless Jennifer Niven The Probability of Miracles Wendy Wunder The Midwife’s Secret Emily Gunnis A Day Like This Kelley McNeil Everything Must Go Camile Pagán The Lighthouse Sisters Gill Thompson I also read several nonfiction books in 2022. Here are my top 6, which I also rated at 5 stars. How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing K.C.…

  • A heartbroken woman sitting in the house embracing her.
    Essays,  General Thoughts

    Just get over it

    It’s funny. I find myself saying “Get over it” to my kids sometimes when they’re whining about one thing or another—usually something insignificant in the grand scheme of life like someone eating the last brownie. If only the phrase worked for more significant things. Getting over it would benefit me in so many ways. One year ago today I was unemployed for the first time in my adult life. I was scared, depressed, and hurt over the whole situation. I tried to put on a brave face for my family, but I know they could see through it. About two weeks after that first day of unemployment, I accepted an…