What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman I was recommended this book by my cousin’s wife. And though I love her dearly, I’m not sure I was a big fan of the novel. A story split in two times, What She Left Behind follows 17-year-old Izzy in the 1990s, and 18-year-old Clara in the 1930s. Izzy’s foster parents work for a museum and bring Izzy along with them on an exploration of a state-run insane asylum that has been…
My in-laws are so talented and creative! My Father-in-law loves paper crafting, my Mother-in-law is a textile design artist, and my Sister-in-law (and soon-to-be Brother-in-law) is an illustrator. I feel completely inadequate when it comes to everything visual art related in their company. (I can’t even draw stick figures right! They always come out crooked.) Here’s hoping that my daughters inherit their artistic skills from that side of the family! To complete their paper craft holiday scene, my Father-in-law invited…
For those of you who don’t know, my husband works at Wikia. (OMG how many times have I used Wikia in my RP/Fanfiction days?) I was invited to come along to the Wikia Holiday Party, which was Game of Thrones themed. Thankfully, hubs and I just caught up on GoT, so we weren’t spoiled by anything at the party. This was a chance for me to go out and have fun without kids underfoot, and also to see some of…
I very nearly gave up writing this month. Well, not entirely. I very nearly gave up wanting to publish my writing this month. I received a “this novel will never sell” blow from someone who “knows the business.” At that point I had to decide if I was writing for me, or if I was writing for a career–for other people–to get published–to become a traditionally published author. And then I decided I was writing for me. I will still…
I was at the Algonkian Write to Market Conference from November 12-15, 2015, in Corte Madera, California. The conference was held in Corte Madera, California, and I have to say, I’m super glad that I went. I will be writing a more comprehensive review, covering every aspect of the Conference I can think of… but I won’t bore you with the details. Here I’ll just post a few pictures and tell you guys what an amazing experience I had. You…
This post is to serve as an apology to my readers, and as a notice of hiatus for the month of November. I am participating in NaNoWriMo 2015, which is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, and I am attending the Write to Market conference by Algonkian Writer Conferences in Corte Madera. I will, of course, be writing about my experiences with both, but for now I need to focus on getting my NaNoWriMo word…
I have the pleasure of being a close friend with Michelle Gould, who works as a freelance video editor. She’s incredibly talented, incredibly friendly, and incredibly kind. One of her jobs is editing “Happy Hour with Cameron Stiehl,” a YouTube channel dedicated to making the world a more open-minded and understanding place “one cocktail at a time.” Cameron does interviews with celebrities who are in the LGBTQ community and around San Francisco, where the interviews take place. It was an…
My Nerdiness knows no bounds. In May of this year I attended a fan led Harry Potter Convention in Laconia, New Hampshire. Misti-Con 2015 is the second Misti Convention they’ve held at the beautiful Margate Resort on Lake Winnipisawkee. I can’t put into words how much I love spending time with so many glorious nerds… but I’m gonna try. The excitement one gets when the decorations go up, the HP talk begins… I get to play like a kid…
So, I went ahead and pledged to a kickstarter. I was a HUGE fan of the first Monster Elementary book, so when I saw they were making a second volume? Heck yes. I think that Nick is an incredibly talented and creative writer. His characters are lovable, the situations intriguing. And Gwen is an organized editor and talented designer. The first book is a quality product–I gave it out as Christmas presents to all my daughters’ friends a couple of…
I’m both proud and honored to be able to reveal the latest cover in the Royer Goldhawk series! You can find the Book Trailer for the second book here! My good friend and wonderful author, Amy Leigh Strickland, has given me the chance to reveal the latest cover in her Steampunk Adventure series. I loved the first one, and I can’t wait to read this next one! Here’s a little about the book: “Upon their arrival in Fairy, Royer Goldhawk…