Children of the Planes

January 7, 2019

The Kindle Edition is Now Available for Pre-Order

Maybe it is his video game withdrawal or the fact that he is not used to being outside for such lengthy periods of time, but Zane finds himself under constant surveillance of an alien named Jax. Jax never stops talking, trying to convince Zane that it is able to travel to an Inner Plane of the universe where an Aged is King is destroying civilization to find his lost jewel. Jax has plenty of stories to share about how the children of the Inner Plane are fighting back:

An orphan forced work in the textile factories within the Walled Cities who learns to read.

A warrior girl of the Arikara Tribes that reunites her people with the Great Herd.

An elemental boy who rescues a baby bear from wolves and learns they share a special connection.

The youngest sea captain who crashes on an island that reveals memories that had been purposely taken from him.

Are these children real, or is Zane going crazy?

Book One of the Children of the Planes series.

The Writer’s Blessing and Happy New Years!

December 31, 2018

2018 was an incredible year for me.

I became a champion of both CampNaNoWrimo and NaNoWrimo.

I started this website to promote my work.
I created a Twitter platform and have 880 followers.

I graduated with a B.A.  in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.

I earned the Lavender Award for my championship of LGBTQ inclusivity on the college campus I work for.

And I completed my Women’s Study certificate.

I finished the Children of the Planes novel and completed the rough draft of its sequel.

Finally, I became a published author.

All humble bragging aside, what great feats did you all accomplish this year? What goes have you set for yourself for 2019?

Ode to My Love, Coffee

December 19, 2018

Dear World,

I have a secret.

I know what my Christmas gift from my son is.

I had commented during a poetry segment in his Language Arts course that I thought he was an amazing poet and that he should think about continuing on with the art form after the course was over.

He is now in the working stages of creating me a book of his poetry!!!

To commemorate my son’s future as a poet, I am releasing, via my blog, a poem that I have written. It is featured in Scholarly Creative Writing, so if you’ve already purchased my book, it isn’t new (sorry).

The End…..

November 30, 2018

Thus concludes National Novel Writing Month, and with it the Nanowrimo challenge.

If you remember, I was taking National Novel Writing Month TO THE EXTREME!

Some were able to make it to champion status.

Others didn’t, but they have more words than when theystarted, and I hope they continue to bring their ideas to fruition.

The most important lesson that this month taught me as a writer,is the need for discipline. That seems an ironic concept, as I trained in the martial arts for a few years, especially with the mindset that what you learn on the mats transcends into your every day lives.  

Even if you don’t have a game plan for the writing, you have to have a game plan of when and what you’ll be working on each day or it won’t work. And if your schedule is as crazy as mine is, you really do need to pencil in times to write.

Writing is also like a muscle. You can likely finish a 10k without a training, but it won’t happen in the same time frame than someone who has been training for the big day. I was only successful because I have been working out almost every day… on writing. Don’t think I can actually run a 10k or anything.

I let the Stackskill thing go to the wayside. Again, from the martial arts, I was conditioned to believe that you must always go back to the fundamentals if you want to succeed, but these fundamentals diverted from my time to get to work. I felt like I was stuck in a lecture that, although brief, I couldn’t get out of.

I have about an hour left of Steven King’s On Writing. I’ve enjoyed it some extent,but I can see now why he claims he will never be able to break out of that Suspenseful Literature like he wanted to a few years back. His views on writing are the makings of the own box that he put himself into, but his insights are something that all writers should go through so that they can make conscious choices about their writing.

How was everyone else’s National Novel Writing Month?

And when is National Novel READING Month?

In Memory of William Goldman

November 16, 2018

21787I am a child of The Princess Bride movie. The witty banter, the belief in true love… the passion for adventure.

It’s crazy that my literary week has been consumed with William Goldman only to hear that he passed away.

It wasn’t easy explaining that to the kids. I had them fall in love with an author only to have him pass away.

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Last night we got to the part where the man in black is climbing up the cliff.. and the rope is cut! But dang if that doesn’t stop him! Up he climbs, the true spirit of perseverance. But who is he?

Princess-Bride-Quotes-And-Sayings-2 (1)And being 10, she kept saying “Inconsiderate” instead of inconceivable. My constant corrections were driving her crazy, but this is something you have to get right! It’s these small details that stay with you forever.

Of course, I corrected her by saying “You keep saying that word! I don’t think it means what you think it does.” Which cracked me up immensely, but irritated my little young reader. And when she got to the part were Inigo says it, the look on her face was worth it…

      Not knowing how the tale unfolds, my daughter mourns the death of Westley. She was upset that he died because Buttercup loved him. Westley will be reborn… he will live on and will continue both his own legacy but Goldman’s as well. As writers, isn’t that one of the finer ironies in life? Your characters will live again and again within the minds of the reader long after you’re gone.

      Thank you William Goldman for helping to shape my childhood, but helping me pass on memorable moments to my children.