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Porch Time
Back in August 2011, my father was diagnosed with an aggressive form of terminal cancer. “How long?” is one of the first questions, if not the first question, people normally ask when diagnosed with a terminal disease, and it was one of our first questions. The life expectancy they gave him was broad; I believe they said six months to…
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The Hardest Thing
When I was a kid, we had a beautiful black, Persian cat named Miss Puss. She had big, yellow eyes and was a sweet-natured kitty. Like many animals do, she had picked her person, and her person was my mom. Every so often, she’d gift my mom with dead animals. Although my mom found these tokens disgusting, she knew they…
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The What-wases
2019 has been the year for trying new things. I am a creature of habit; structure is my security blanket, so when changes come along, I resist with all of my might. Because of my book, I’ve had to open my arms to change, and although that’s been tough, it’s also forced me to get out into the world and…
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Killing My Precious
This one is about writing. Well, my writing, that is. I try to give little tips on Instagram, and most of the tips I share are ones I learned from articles or books by other authors. Some things I have learned along the way from experience, but those are more regarding edits and after I finish the first draft. Today…
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What Will it Take?
With the ALA conference, work, and everything else that has kept me busy lately, I have had little time to write. Today, I really felt the need to sit down and write about an issue that’s been weighing heavily on my mind… the missing toddler, baby Noah. My local friends will know exactly what I’m talking about, but some of…
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Will the Real Dad Please Stand Up?
Some of you already know the story, but for those who don’t . . . In October 2013, two years after my father passed away, I found out that the man who I’d always called, “Dad” was not my biological father. My biological father was a man who my dad had been close friends with for many years; in fact, our families lived in…
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Not the Most Friendly of Beasts
Someone I dealt with last week reminded me of a scene in the first Harry Potter movie. If you’re not familiar with Harry Potter, here’s a quick background: Harry Potter is an orphan who finds out he is a wizard. The gentle half-giant/half wizard, Hagrid, not only informs Harry of his lineage but also serves as his escort to the…
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The Pretty Little Redhead
Have you ever met someone and found that you cannot stop thinking about that person? That’s the predicament I’m in right now. I’ll be doing something, and my thoughts keep turning to her. After more than a week of her being a squatter in my headspace, I think I’ve finally figured out why she’s always on my mind. But let…
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Walk the Walk
This is what my face looked like almost 50 years ago at my first birthday party. From the looks of things, I wasn’t too impressed with the festivities. When I was old enough to look at pictures and ask questions, my mom informed me that I was wailing like a banshee because some inconsiderate (probably the coochie-coochie-coo type) neighbor lady…
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Fake it ’til you make it
My book launch was last Saturday. It was an enjoyable and exciting experience, but it was also exhausting. I’ve learned so many things since I began the journey to getting this book out there, with my most recent lesson being this: Fake it ‘til you make it. I am, by nature, an introvert. I’m hard-wired to do things like only…
