During MarsCon in January 2020 one of my panels was Get Out of Your Way. I decided to run a panel about how to get unstuck. Sometimes you become your own obstacle. To my surprise, when it came time for my panel I looked out on a full room. This in great contrast to some… Continue reading Get Out of YOUR Way

Today is a research day, though I also realize I haven’t put up a blog in quite some time. I thought I might go into a little about how I am putting this Steampunk anthology together. The idea came about after writing two origin stories for nursery rhymes for HCS Publishing’s anthologies. So far, I… Continue reading Research

My husband was in the hospital. It was his second day of what would end up being six, following a shocking onset of rhabdomyolysis. I was spending time in the clubhouse pool with our toddler and his mother, trying to ignore the dark thoughts. I didn’t know my daughter was old enough to ask, “Is… Continue reading We Mark Ourselves

I am thrilled to announce the publication of my newest picture book Chelsea’s Crabby Day. I wanted to share with you the journey and future of this project. My first picture book, Midnight Forest, is available at John Millington’s comic store Jersey’s Gaming Cards & Comics. One day while speaking with John at Jersey’s, he… Continue reading The Makings of Chelsea’s Crabby Day

Here is the first chapter of my next publication, soon to be released by HCS Publishing. This is my first romantic comedy, and it is a quick read. We do have plans of making this an audio book, but that will be further down the road. Chapter One: The Bribe I had just finished patting… Continue reading Coming Soon: The Love Bribe

I was invited to join Dave Lee and his wife Aela Badiana for the second annual Atlanta Steampunk Expo this year from October 26-28. I had a truly wonderful time! First and foremost, a huge thank you to the incredible team who made this expo a grand experience. Thank you Bill Harrison and Naomi Grumwald-Eberhart… Continue reading Atlanta Steampunk Exposition: Victorian Nightmares

I reached out to fellow authors/illustrators and asked them for a quick response to this question: How do you write good dialogue? Author A. LaFaye: Books have been written to answer that question, but I’ll try to be brief and borrow a line from Dickinson, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.” People don’t… Continue reading Advice From Fellow Authors / Illustrators

I learned a great deal about editing during my years at Hollins, and I hope to continue learning the best way to edit. The truth remains that it’s easier to edit someone else’s work. It’s hard to see what needs work in your own projects. Here are some tips I hope you can keep in… Continue reading Editing Tips

One of my assignments at Hollins was to do a retelling of the Little Mermaid from a different character’s perspective. Some of my classmates chose the witch, some a sister, some a side-kick. I was the only one who chose the father. Parents are often brushed to the side, or even killed off, in fiction.… Continue reading The Father of the Little Mermaid

In 2012 I completed a Half Iron Man in Florida. It was prevalent by the presence of Lance Armstrong, though I did not bother trying to crowd around him like some of the other athletes. I gave him the same space I offered everyone else while setting up in the transition area. I had trained… Continue reading DNR On His Calf (A Short Story)