For the past few weeks, here in Icebox, Illinois we’ve been locked in a deep freeze, highs hovering just above zero, windchills of the -25 degrees F variety, and accumulated snow fall of around two feet.  When I run, I wear five layers on my top half, two pairs of gloves, polar tec leggings, three … Continue reading My Nine Year Old Learns a Lesson

The winter breaks of my childhood were always a time to slow down.  With no activities and no school, the days unfurled before me like a royal red carpet, and I was the queen who dictated their pace.   As far back as I can remember, those two magical weeks at the end of the calendar … Continue reading The Elasticity of Time

My six year old daughter is a reader (yay!). She reads in the morning before she gets out of bed when she's not yet ready to face the world. She reads on the couch when she has free time. She reads in the car on long trips. She inhales books. My daughter also loves to … Continue reading Writerly Wednesday: A Six Year Old’s Wisdom

I finished the rough draft of my first middle-grade novel last night.  Today, I printed it. It is a strange mix of emotions (awe, pride, fear, despair) to see the physical manifestation of six months of effort in a solid stack right in front of me. The corners are square, the edges neat, but the … Continue reading First Draft Feels

Today I turn 40.  (Yay?)  Although I typically give my husband a mile-long wish list, I chose not to this year.  Instead, I gave myself a big present.  A really important present. I gave myself the gift of time to focus on my writing. Many writers are quite adept at carving out time to write … Continue reading The Post-Conference Glow