When Optimism Isn’t Always Enough I was chatting with a few author friends. We’ve all published at least one novel (some have published more) but none of us is a household name (except, well, in our own households. :)) We keep … Continue reading →

Writing Pride At Every Step My friend, who has young twins, was ecstatic that her girls could now put on their own shoes and get themselves into the car. My own daughters are late-teenagers; they’re driving the car. But as proud as … Continue reading →

Finishing a To-Read Pile: Impossible! My to-read pile is a mile high. My list of books I want to read is even longer. My stack of resources of books I may want to read (newsletters, blogs, recommendations) is unending.  And still I … Continue reading →

David vs. Goliath An image popped into my head: David and Goliath—the iconic Biblical story of a young boy defeating the giant with just a sling and a rock. I feel that way about the publishing industry sometimes. The behemoth … Continue reading →

Sean Astin and Me! (Sort Of) My daughters recently went to a Comic Con where Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin was attending. I was jealous, given I’m also a huge LoTR fan. And, I’ve loved Sean Astin since I was … Continue reading →

The Author Platform The prevailing wisdom in the writing world is to establish an “author platform”, a way to build connections with readers. I’m all in on the purpose of the author platform.  I’m not all in on its execution, though. Social … Continue reading →

Author Appreciation Many moons ago, I was on a Caribbean cruise with my family, and I was blown away by the experience. The servers, crew, cleaners and attendants were helpful, friendly and kind.  But I was aware of my privilege; … Continue reading →

A Healthy Life Would you rather a happy successful writing life or happy successful life?  Uh, Jen, they don’t have to be mutually exclusive…  Obviously not, but in reality, we often struggle with both our writing life and, well, life. Sometimes one … Continue reading →

The “Why Not Me?” Challenge I’ve had some success as a writer. I have one published novel with a second one coming out soon. I’ve written a handful of other manuscripts. I keep learning, and practicing and trying (and failing, … Continue reading →

What’s A Writing “Win”? I love picking up words of wisdom from other writers. Recently my friend Abby and I were talking about getting the job done.  “Motivation leads to motivation,” she said.  Her words were like a bolt of … Continue reading →