Smooth Sailing

The problem with the type of cancer that can be managed-but-not-cured is that you never quite know when to update the masses that the patient is on an upswing and doing well. It's occurred to me recently that I'm always quick to let everyone know when we're riding that cancer train, but not always quick [...]

2022 Wrap Up

Hi, friends! I hope you've all had a wonderful 2022 and that you're anticipating 2023 with high hopes. I've been working hard this year and I look forward to continuing on my writing journey throughout the next year. I can't wait to share with you the YA fantasy that's on its way next year, but [...]

#8pmWritingSprint

Any artist will tell you the key to progressing in an artistic endeavor is consistency. This applies to painting, drawing, digital art, music composition, and yes, writing. Maybe especially writing. It should come as a surprise to exactly no one that, six months ago, I was deep in a writer's block. It wasn't that I [...]

The Train

I wrote this essay months ago, just as schools across the country opened amidst a worldwide pandemic, and we faced yet another unique set of challenges in the Storms household. Months later, as 2021 comes to a close and the schools plan to open on schedule starting January 3, 2022 regardless of the dramatic spike [...]

2021 Wrap Up

Every year I do a quick summary of what I've accomplished in my writing career and sometimes what I've accomplished in life. It's a great way to look back and realize I actually *have* been pretty busy, no, I *wasn't* slacking as much as I thought, and hey, this year wasn't so bad. (Covid and [...]

Mystery Delivery

Yesterday, we received a mystery package in the mail. We receive a lot of packages* in the mail, as husband is an avid collector of many things fishing-related. I assumed the small manila envelope contained a fly-fishing tin of some sort as I'd seen several of those make their way through his hands recently. So [...]

Try

Have you ever wanted something in your life so badly you can't imagine living without it? Have you ever felt that if someone just gave you a chance, you know you could succeed? This? Is every writer I know. Every dreamer. We write, we create. We make real our fantasy worlds, give breath to characters [...]

Fakers, Bakers, and Music Makers – Bonding via Unforgettable Characters

How do you sum up a weekend adventure that had approximately 865,342 high points? I'm not sure I can, but I'll at least attempt to highlight a few moments that made my time at the #UCIJretreat2021 amazing and memorable and oh-so-worth-it. (That's Unforgettable Characters & Incredible Journeys, in case you were wondering.) A few months [...]

Belonging

We almost bought a brand new house today. Drove an hour and a half northeast and spent all day touring a beautiful, half-built, small mansion in a spacious 1-acre wooded lot in the Poconos. Then we deliberated long hours on whether it was right, where we'd put the garden, the pool, the chicken coop, and [...]