“We were born for reinvention—to remake our lives, to bring back and revive our true purpose and potential. We are here to be changed and to make change, not to remain static.” – Caren Merrick, serial entrepreneur E...
Now that my debut novel is “out there,” wherever there is, I’m starting to get people asking me questions about how I got published or my writing routine. I’m flabbergasted that anyone woul...
I grew up acting in school plays and community theater productions. If you know any actors, you know we love applause. Some folks shy away from the spotlight, but performers crave it for validation...
My husband, Stephen, has started telling people I’m living a writer’s life. The first time he said that in front of me, I said, “Woah! What does that mean?” Many famous writers were alcohol...
Twenty years ago, I wrote “a thing.” I poured my heart into my computer in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. Insomnia has a productive side once in a while. Two years ago, sittin...
Who wudda thunk it? OK, not good writing from someone purporting to be a writer, I get it. But I’m still wrapping my head around being the subject of a podcast! True, I offered myself up to be in...
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about two common approaches to novel writing. Some people are plotters, who create careful outlines or flow charts before jumping into the actual writing phase ...
Most people are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Many of us work conscientiously to improve where we can and take comfort in “what’s going well.” But . . . even at the ripe old age of...
We’ve all seen the movies and TV shows. Writers are often depicted in secluded, dark libraries, leaning over desktop computers at huge wooden desks. Their swivel chairs are made of expensive brow...
Although I’d done a lot of writing in my life—from marketing documents (newsletters, flyers, brochures) to essays, press releases, and journaling—I’d never done much creative writing before...
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"Forks & Knives" was born as part of a long journal entry, a cathartic release. In 2003, despite being happily married to my second husband, insomnia visited me regularly. My brain pushed and pulled, working through hurtful and confusing memories that defined the rocky journey of my first marriage and its ultimate demise. The finished document sat inside my computer, unread, for seventeen years.
When I retired in 2021, I revisited the document, hesitantly. “Is this worth reworking into a novel? Would anyone care about this?” I asked my best friend, my husband Stephen, to read it. Bonus for me: He taught American literature for more than twenty-five years (!), so I knew I could trust his opinion. Happily, he confirmed, “Yes, it’s good. You should work on it.” Then he introduced me to Brian Kaufman (www.authorbriankaufman.com) and Penpointers, the Northern Colorado writer’s group that Stephen had belonged to years before I met him. Over the next year and a half, my self-focused monologue transformed into a work of fiction that would appeal to people outside my immediate circle of friends and family. At least that’s my hope.
Whenever I mention what this book is about, I'm invariably met with, "Yeah, my mom was a drinker," or "My son was sober for a while, but . . ." There are millions of stories like mine out there -- people who have loved/lived with alcoholics/addicts and struggled to hold on through the pain. But there are ways we can help and support those we love without losing ourselves. This novel alone can't help those still working through those dark days, but maybe some of the resources here can play a role.
