books – My Life in Paragraphs

If It Seems to Good to Be True… (Navigating the New World of Author Marketing Emails)

Just about every time I open my email of late, there is another ‘publicist’ raving about one of my books. They tell me my books are getting the short shrift and deserve a wider audience.

I couldn’t agree more.

These emails were flooding in at such a rate that clearly my TikTok has made me a star, Bradley Cooper has finally outed me as his secret crush, or something is afoot at the Circle K.

My Viral Moment on TikTok

For years, I have resisted TikTok.

Facebook and Instagram seemed like plenty. Who needs one more social media platform to suck my soul?

But then….

Put Down the Phone and Read a Book

I think the world would be a better place and we’d all be happier people, if we put down the phone and read a book instead.

Why don’t more people read books? This is a question that flummoxes me.

My perspective may be skewed because I LOVE to read. In fact, it’s a bit of an addiction that I passed on to two of my kids.

We were once called in for a parent-teacher conference to discuss Brady’s habit of reading during class. The teacher had removed every book from his desk and seated him up front right beside her desk and he would lean over her desk to read anything on the desk rather than listen in class.

Message from My Other Husband?

This morning, something magical happened. Maybe it was a coincidence, or maybe it was a sign. Or maybe it was a message. I’m still not certain exactly what it was. Nick thinks it was evidence of a husband I have in an alternate reality.

What Are YOU Doing with Your New Year?

I love new years—the fresh starts, new habits, and the grand opportunity to leave a few things behind.

Every year I create challenges for myself. No one tells me to do it and there’s no great reward at the end. The stakes are basically nothing. Sometimes, I invite others to join me, which, at least on the surface, creates a little accountability.

Last year, I created the Lighten Your Load, Lighten Your Life challenge. I planned to let go of five ‘things’ every day, all year.

My Do-not-Do List

Are you a list maker?

Me, too.

There is a tiny thrill in checking things off my list.

I draw little boxes next to each item and then make a check mark (with my red pen) when I get them done. Whatever I don’t get to, but I need to, I circle in blue. Whatever I don’t get to and probably don’t really have to (but I thought I should do when I wrote the list), or now it’s too late to do, I cross off with black pen. Anal, much? Here’s what it looks like in real time:

New Book Coming in 2025!

Finally! After a three year drought, I have a new book coming out in 2025! And this one was sure worth waiting for.

Note: Maybe this is old news because you follow me on Facebook or subscribe to Another Good Dog. So if that’s the case, you have my permission to skip this blog post. Or you can read it again because, hey, this is good stuff and there’s dog pictures!

My newest book is a little different. It’s a passion project, for sure, and it’s been five years in the making. It’s also a nonprofit venture.

AI and Me (and You)

You may (or may not) have noticed that I’ve refrained from commenting or posting or engaging in discussion of AI. Initially, I just thanked my lucky stars that my kids are already grown and out of school, but secretly I really hoped this was a fad and it would go away.

It hasn’t.

Buy Me a Cup of Coffee

I only made it halfway through my Bird by Bird book club. The book sits on my desk now, taunting me. You didn’t finish, you didn’t finish, what a loser, once again, you didn’t finish. Not that, for one moment, I can imagine Anne Lamott would say that to me.

In fact, she mentions several times in the book that perfection is the oppressor. Not that only making it halfway is even remotely in the same country as perfection. Still.

Plot is Born From Characters (Book Club 5, Bird by Bird)

Plot is a sore point for me.

It’s where pantsers and plotters part ways. I have never been able to plot. The times when I’ve plotted out a story before starting to write, it’s felt stilted and uncomfortable and forced. Like doing a homework assignment. Check that rubric – are you hitting all the right notes?

Once I’ve regurgitated what I’d planned, I feel let down. Like I was waiting for this great thing, and it disappointed. The idea seemed so much better in outline form.