Yes, that is my real name. Author. DIY-maniac. Mom. Wife. Generally overwhelmed by things I've created.
I adore History. In grade school, I loved hearing stories from different periods. In college, I once became so engrossed in a lecture about the Roman Empire that I forgot to take notes until halfway through the hour, which I think pleased the professor. Now, I still love losing myselfContinue Reading
Recently I was faced with an interview question of “If you’re stuck on an island, what three books do you have to have with you?” I brought this up with a group of friends, and of course we wondered about all kinds of qualifiers – are you ever going toContinue Reading
My brother and I labeled this summer “The Summer of Heartbreak” because so many people we know broke up, got divorced, or just had their hearts pummeled in general. It’s to the point that I’m so jaded about romantic relationships that even if He-Against-Whom-All-Others-Are-Compared showed up and confessed his undyingContinue Reading
IAI: Dark Christian Fiction – It ain’t all Sunshine and flowers.Continue Reading
Now that my book is out and I’m actually bothering to market the thing, I’ve tapped into this wonderful community of Indie authors via Goodreads. As one author pointed out, it’s often the people closest to you who are least interested in the fact that you’ve written a book. MyContinue Reading
This summer, the topic of “Introverts vs. Extroverts” kept coming up again and again with various friends. Now, as much as I love lists and analyzing the crap out of people, I don’t particularly like labels. But I took every online quiz thrown at me this summer, and I amContinue Reading
My book is finally available! available at Amazon also see my Home page and The Kota Series page(s) for more.Continue Reading
So, yeah, I haven’t blogged in a while. Here’s why. A few months ago (…er… gosh, was it April?), I decided I needed to not blog and instead focus on finishing my book. I channeled all my writing energies there so as not to get distracted here. Now that theContinue Reading
11/16/2011 I turn 30 in exactly one week. Am I freaking out about this? Yes. Do I know why? No. I know that perfectly normal reasons for freaking out would center around the fact that I’m single and I have no particular career ambitions and no real goals for myContinue Reading
“Sometimes you run into someone, regardless of age or sex, whom you know absolutely to be an independently operating part of the Whole that goes on all the time inside yourself, and the eye-motes go click and you hear the tribal tones of voice resonate, and there it is –Continue Reading
When does a phase become a rut? Miranda and I had jokingly made a New Year’s Resolution in 2009 to “turn this douche of a life around,” but August rolled around and we hadn’t made much progress – okay, no progress except to re-title 2009 “Douche Awareness Year.” And thenContinue Reading
One of the most insulting things you can say to a single person is “We just want you to be happy.” My mental response is always, “Huh, thanks. Until you just told me I wasn’t happy, I thought I was.” Granted, I understand most 30-something women probably do want toContinue Reading
For some reason, my brain when I was younger told me that I would reach some point where I would be a finished product and be done learning, rooted in an unchanging outlook. It was a comforting idea, but then I discovered that we never really stop growing, never stopContinue Reading
I am a manipulator. If I had a superpower, it would be mind-control. I learned at probably a too-young age how to get what I want (it didn’t hurt that I was adorable), and ever since then I admit I’ve enjoyed working people. Christian and I often quote Conan O’BrienContinue Reading
The Setting When I moved back from Detroit, three friends and I rented a house on the dodgy end of Knapp Street in northeast Grand Rapids. We had an alleyway instead of a driveway, a basement that flooded, neighbor dogs that yipped at all hours, and neighbor children that didContinue Reading
Here’s the thing I find most annoying about undergoing personal change: Getting other people to realize it. Why do people who knew you during one period in your life always expect you to be the same as they remember? Sure, not everyone has gone through the tumbling wash cycle ofContinue Reading