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An Old Dog
When you write a book, the result you hope for is simple: you hope that people buy it, read it, and like it. For this result to come to fruition, several things have to happen. I would say the first and most important thing is that the book has to be good, but I can’t say it because it isn’t true. I have one…
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Bags to Beds
I’ve never been a crafty person. In fact, I could be the poster child for Pinterest fails. I look at the things that some of my friends make and I’m dumbfounded by their talent and creativity. But what impresses me, even more, is how some of my friends use their talents for the purpose of helping complete strangers. These friends…
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Writing Romance in YA Fiction
Ah, young love…there’s nothing like it. It was a time when we welcomed Cupid’s arrow with open arms, daring the impish little trickster to give it his best shot. And I think with most of us, he was happy to comply. Many of us look back at our younger days and remember our high school sweethearts with a particular fondness; I know…
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Her First Valentine
Yesterday, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across a photo taken for one of this year’s Daddy-Daughter dances and, as always, it made me smile. It makes sense for Daddy-Daughter dances to take place close to Valentine’s Day—after all, isn’t a girl’s first Valentine her daddy? I often wonder if fathers realize how much of an impact they have in…
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If You Keep Doin’ What You’re Doin’
Years ago when my drinking had landed me in some trouble (imagine that), my dad, who had many years of sobriety under his belt, said something I’ll never forget: “If you keep doin’ what you’re doin’, you’re gonna keep gettin’ what you’re gettin’.” Almost 20 years later, this simple sentence is still my favorite mantra. It turns out that my dad had…
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A Little About Toastmasters
This week has been a busy one. I publish my blog on Sundays, usually around 11:00 a.m., but it’s normally written by Saturday night at the latest. Today is Sunday. It’s 9:46 a.m. and I’m just now writing. I’ve got a ton of stuff to do today, so I’m trying to get this finished and posted. I’ve been sitting here…
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Got Somethin’ Better to Do?
There’s a lot to writing a book and having it published. I always imagined authors sitting at their desks, madly pecking away on their big, clunky typewriters as they created a work of art that was sure to win the Pulitzer, or at least be in the running. They’d type, “The End,” and triumphantly rip the paper out of the…
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Cream & Sugar with that?
Rejection—don’t like it, don’t want it. Unfortunately, I have no choice, because it’s not like I’m at a restaurant and when the waiter asks if I want my coffee refilled I can reply, “Nah, I’ve had enough, thank you,”; rejection ain’t coffee, and it looks like my cup’s getting filled to the brim, regardless if I want it. As with certain brands…
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Miracle Baby
November 6, 2013. That was the day I got some new brothers. Sort of. You see, they’d always been my brothers, I just didn’t know that they were. In order for this to make sense, I need to take you back in time with me…we’re traveling to the late 1960’s, so put on your bell-bottoms and your tie-dyed t-shirts because…
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Change
2019 is two days away. Once again, gym memberships will soar and members will have to wait their turn to use the machines. That will last a couple of months until New Year’s Resolutionists (yes, I think I made that word up) revert back to their 2018 habit of sitting on the couch, watching Netflix. Diets will start and end.…
