Category Archives: Uncategorized

Solar Eclipse 2017

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Like most of North America, I watched the solar eclipse on Monday, and am now posting about it on social media. And why not? Even though eclipses (partial, total, lunar, solar) are not rare occurrences, a total eclipse happening across a highly populated area is a bigger deal.

I was in an area of about 80% totality, and two things stood out to me about this event: one, how dark it got, and two, how dark it didn’t get.

The daylight changed, and everything faded – but not the way it does at sunset or as clouds roll in. To me, the outdoors simply looked like a computer monitor with the dimmer on – still clear, colors still the same, just not as bright. And at the same time, as I was marveling at the dimness, I also marveled at how well-lit everything still was. The sun was 80% covered by the moon, and yet was still powerful enough to illuminate the world. The birds did not go to sleep, the street lights did not come on. Continue reading →

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#BookNerdProblems

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For those who don’t know, I’m moving in a couple of weeks. I’m moving literally across the country (east coast to west coast). Therefore, my blog posts may be a little thin for the next few weeks.

That being said, I’m sure anyone who has moved before (even if it’s just across town) and who loves books knows this to be true: you never realize how many books you have until you have to pack them all.

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New Roads

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Sometimes in life, things change gradually; and sometimes, everything changes at once.

I’m at a point somewhere in between the two, but definitely more towards the “everything’s changing at once” end. All in a good way, though.

I’m not going to go into a lot of detail in this post, but here are a few of the things that are changing in my life right now: I’ve done some major revising of my writing goals that I set a mere month ago at the beginning of the year, I’m getting ready to publish my first novella, and I’m moving. And apparently I thought that doing all of these at the same time would be a good idea.

So, nothing bad, and nothing truly earth-shattering in the grand scheme of things. But still, enough to keep me on my toes. I will keep blogging, Tweeting, and building my brand, though, because I want to continue adding value to my readers and connecting with people all over the world.

I’m excited about following these new roads, and I hope you’ll come along for the journey!

When the Stories are Real

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We’ve all read stories or seen movies that deal with great tragedies. Characters who suffer tremendous loss, through no fault of their own, whose lives get turned upside down by an unimaginable horror. We cry for these characters, identify with their pain even if we have never suffered what they have, and we cheer for them as they resolve to push through and emerge victorious in spite of everything.

The pain and empathy that we feel is often increased when we learn that the story is based on a true story, or inspired by real events. And then that pain and empathy is taken to yet another deeper level when it happens to someone you know.

There’s no shortage of pain and tragedy in the world, and everyone can probably point to someone they know (or to themselves) as an example. But just last week, I was stunned and horrified to learn of a great tragedy that hit my friend and fellow blogger Jessica Cangiano of Chronically Vintage. She and her husband lost their home and all of their possessions in a fire – personal belongings, the entire stock for her Etsy business, a lifetime of mementos and treasures, and one of their pets. Continue reading →