The book that made me an author and changed my life November 27th, 2012 It’s the day after Thanksgiving. I’m at my In-laws for the holiday. It’s snowy and cold. I have a quiet moment to check emails and write, and in my inbox is a small email from a small publisher with big dreams….
I like making lists. I do like crossing off things but not as much as I like making them. The reason mostly has to do with my full brain and my constant thinking. I often need to writing out things to make more of a visual memory. The action of writing clears the specifics and…
Back in 2020, as I considered some New Year’s Resolutions, I thought hard about fulfilling my lifelong dream of being a ballerina. As everyone knows, all our dreams for that year came crashing down. So here we are in 2022, and after a hard 2.5 years of burnout in a busy hospital, I needed to…
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna My rating: 4 of 5 stars I grabbed this for my witchy reading during spooky season, but this book could be read anytime during the year. Mika Moon is a practicing witch who posts ‘witchy’ videos on her Instagram. (I’ll be honest – I would…
The most surprising book I’ve read all year . . . is hands down this book. The Ogress and the Orphans, penned by Kelly Barnhill has been on my list since it came out. I met Kelly a few years ago at a writing conference and decided upon meeting her that I would read The…
It’s been a darn good while since I blogged here. There are reasons which I will share below. But I wanted to get back into a healthy habit of expression here in my blog. I’ve never been one to give specific writing types or marketing ideas. I can’t categorize my blogs like other writers do….
You know what the first thing I say about Valentine’s Day? Gross… so gross. I have always disliked Valentine’s day. I’m not a lovey dovey person. I don’t like pink. I’m not a fan of red roses. I wore black on this day growing up. Why such drama? Well, it’s a simple, yet sad answer…
Mushy Post! You have been warned… I surprise people when they find out how old I am, a blessing of the ageless Johnson genes passed on from my grandmother. My husband Kevin has not been as lucky, graying early in his 20s. I may be able to fool others with my age, but I can’t…
Recently I have been more public about my depression, and maybe it’s because it’s becoming more of an every day thing for many people. Or maybe I’m becoming more comfortable with talking about it. Or maybe I’m learning more about a different side of me that I have never known or explored and I just…
Do you know the story of Icarus? Better yet, do you know the song from Kansas: Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel? This happens to be one of my very favorite songs my mother played when I was young. It’s perfect to sing really loud in the car. Icarus is a myth I have…
“Woman must come of age by herself…She must find her true center alone.” ― Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea When I picked up this little book at an small, unknown bookstore on the Oregon coast, I had NO idea what it was. I just liked the title, the package of it, and the colors. I…
I heard about The Midnight Library at the end of 2020 by the Goodreads Choice Awards, in which this book won for Fiction. Boring, regular fiction as a genre is not something I gravitate to. It’s usually way too deep for me, and not fanciful enough. Yet this book caught my interest, being just enough…