Well, here we are. It's the middle of August and school is threatening to start. Or is it? This time it's weird. My kids are going back to school, but at home, but they'll be in school. Plus, they are both moving up into new schools (omg I have a middle schooler and a high … Continue reading So this is Back to School
Recently, foodie influencer Alison Roman gave an interview to The New Consumer that can only be described as a “shit show.” While talking about her own Zen-like journey into fame, she performed an epic racially tone-deaf (I’m being kind) take down of Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, calling them sellouts while she remains pure as … Continue reading The Myth of Success
COVID-19 is here. We are in the thick of it in Maryland. Our governor has just announced we will be at home and schools will be closed until May 15th. I highly doubt that, come May 16th, we will be free to join crowds, hug strangers, and go back to our favorite restaurants. I think … Continue reading In the Midst of COVID
Today I reached a major milestone. Something I wrote has been published in the Washington Post. It was a short piece. 100 words or less defining motherhood. Out of who knows how many submissions mine and nine others were selected to run in the Style section under the On Parenting heading. You can read it … Continue reading I’m in the Washington freakin’ Post!!
This is part of a two piece series I did for a Positive Parenting Conference. It is FREE from May 22nd until May 26th. All the speakers are amazing and have really learned a lot about how to help my children become successful, happy, and intelligent adults. It is well worth your time. 10 Simple … Continue reading 10 Simple Tools from Parenting and Psychology Experts that will Make You a Better Parent
One year ago this week, I began writing Her Dying Day. I'd flown to Bangor, Maine to participate in a writer's retreat. I'd never done anything like that before. I was nervous. As a mystery writer and true crime aficionado, part of my brain was telling me that trekking out into the woods where I … Continue reading Copy Edit Season
I received the back-to-school supply list email this week. My youngest child was quietly resigned at this first sign of the end of summer. My oldest child told me to delete the email. I was sorely tempted. It's been since March 2020 since my kids have been inside a school building. They're returning to school … Continue reading Back to School After a Pandemic
This week, at the end of a marathon writing sprint lasting 3 days and producing over 9000 words (but the rough draft of Book 3 is DONE!), I was given some new, fun stuff to do by my publisher. I'm not talking about simple line edits. The first fun thing was an author questionnaire. It … Continue reading Writing the Book is Only Half the Job
I started querying this book almost exactly 1 year ago in June 2020. I got my agent in February 2021 and now on June 15, 2021 I have a deal with an honest-to-God publisher. Crooked Lane is a smaller publisher, but it specializes in mysteries, which is exactly the kind of publisher I want. And, … Continue reading I Have a Book Deal!
I won't be able to talk much about my book situation right now. No matter where I actually am in the process of getting a deal, my book is still "Under Submission" to editors until a contract is signed and Publisher's Weekly has made the announcement of the deal. Submissions themselves can take anywhere from … Continue reading The First Rule of Book Submission is You Don’t Talk about Book Submission
That's a weird term, "Under Submission." Under = In an existent state of. Submission = Consideration or Judgement. There's a nebulous quality to that phrase that can't quit convey how emotionally fraught it is to be "Under Submission." To be "Under Submission" means your agent wrote a pitch (essentially a much better written query) and … Continue reading Under Submission
Ladies, Gentlemen, and Children of All Ages, I had The Call with a real, live agent If you’ve ever wanted to publish or have a loved one who is an author with aspirations you know how important The Call is. The Call, spoken with a hushed reverence, is the moment an agent offers to represent … Continue reading Agented!
I intended to write this post two weeks ago, but January has been A LOT. Wasn't January 2021 supposed to be better? Weren't we supposed to get a fresh start? Spoilers: We didn't. I'm can't even get as far into the attack in the Capitol as I'd like. It was scary. It was horrible. It … Continue reading What the Hell January?
Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya. Or as I said to my husband on a walk today, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." (Thanks, Mr. Dickens) Although I don't think Charlie had a year like this in mind when he penned those words. … Continue reading Bye, 2020!
I'm in the middle of drafting my second book. I've been working on it since June, when I finished the edits on my first book and started sending it to agents in the hopes that one of them would love it as much as I do and want to help me sell it for big … Continue reading The Coffee Shop I Used to Know
Poetry BLOG By Edge of Humanity Magazine
Raku pottery, vases, and gifts
My honest opinions. Day to day life, and how I go about handling it. An outlet for creativity.
by Elle Renee
"A Word of Substance"
Traditional Veg Recipes
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sailaway from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark Twain
I want to be rich. Rich in love, rich in health, rich in laughter, rich in adventure and rich in knowledge. You?
