I wrote something yesterday. Only 750 words or so, but it wasn’t an email message or a note to my sleeping teenage son saying I’d taken the dog for a walk so if he woke, get his own breakfast. It took me about twenty minutes to write the first sentence, but after that the words flowed … Continue reading Coping and Hope

I know you all have been faunching at the bit, on pins and needles, waiting with baited breath and all that, for the release of The Weaver’s Light. Well trusty fans (all six of you), your desires are ready to be fulfilled–The Weaver’s Light is now available, in paperback or ebook, for pre-order, with an … Continue reading Pre-Order…it’s finally here!

I am living in the days after my best-friend /companion /confidant/ lover/ soulmate/ husband left his wrecked body behind, and moved into the the afterlife, joining his father and others he loved who had gone on before him. Its an unbelievable, unreal place to be–living without his shining eyes, his smile, even his pain and suffering, which … Continue reading Living in the “after”

Folks, I’ve traveled a fair amount in my life. At age 12, I went to Canada with my band class and stayed with a host family for several days–my first trip out of the country. You wouldn’t think the language would be a barrier, but I swear to god, the host-girl and I struggled over … Continue reading Gratitude and Appreciation

I can’t write. Had a lot free time today. I wandered the house. I swept. I cleaned the toilets. I cooked a meal. But I couldn’t pick up the computer and write, though I did spend a lot of time on it…not writing. I picked it up to use iMessage, and look at Facebook, and … Continue reading Diary Dilemma: Can’t write

Beautiful cover for my novel being published by Cité & Folde Books in a couple of months. LOVE IT!   Tagged: art, books, novel

Lucky me, I had all three! What was your morning like? Tagged: dog, living abroad

We’re in Guatemala. Guatemala City to be exact. Why? Because our visa was about to expire and our paperwork has not been processed yet to give me and the boys residency. We had to go somewhere, and this was the cheapest. Plus, Alex’s dad’s cousin lives here, and we had a visit with him. The … Continue reading Small World

No glib, superficial entry today. Sorry folks, this one is a little heavy. A couple of nights ago, we were driving up the mountain from town. It was dark, raining lightly, and a thin fog hung on the banana plants and spiked fences of our neighbors. The headlights flashed across something in the road. “What the … Continue reading Surreal

What did you to today? I outran a hurricane. O.K., not really “out run”, because we were driving, but you get what I mean. We’d PLANNED a trip to the Osa peninsula, but got an email from the hotel we were to stay in that the place was flooded. So, we made plans to go … Continue reading Our Friend Otto

So, you know how there’s always drama in an office, people gossiping, office space battles. Well MY office drama this morning was that it was sort of cloudy out as I sat on the patio working. Tough, I know. Tagged: Costa Rica, working from home, writing

Tara is always good for a belly-laugh! I LOVED this piece of hers, and must share.   3 Writers enter Mr McGuffin’s Plot Device and Writer Unblocking Emporium in dire need of help. Will Mr McGuffin be able to save the tragic lovers of the romance novelist? What’s in the bloodstained suitcase? Just what is … Continue reading Mr. McGuffin’s Plot Device And Writer Unblocking Emporium — Tara Sparling writes

Heck, you’ve got to vote for a president today (if you’re in the U.S., that is). Why not throw down another vote on my super scientific poll? Tagged: election, president, voting

Some of you might be able to find Costa Rica on the map, and some of you might think I’ve moved to that territory of the U.S. that’s off the coast of FL. (That would be Puerto Rico, btw). But what most of you might not know is that Ticos* say there are “two” Costa Ricas--the … Continue reading Diary Dilemmas: Caribbean Coast

I knew our family would be making some major adjustments with this move to Costa Rica.We’d be dealing with improving our understanding and speaking of the language; we’d be driving where rules of the road don’t really apply; we’d be trying to find stores, doctors, parks, etc. in a country with a complete lack of street addresses; we’d be … Continue reading Dairy Dilemmas

I wish I could be more like my dog. This morning, she wakes up, runs over to my bed and puts her wet nose on me, so happy and excited–“Hey, there’s my person-mommy! Right there beside me, and low enough I can KISS her! Hurray!” I crawl out of bed and go let her outside. … Continue reading Expectation Adjustment

  We wake at the butt-crack of dawn each day, as the manic rooster down the road believes that “morning” begins at 3:45 a.m. I will turn him into fricassee before the month is over. But, one advantage of rising with the dawn is that you see and hear things you other wise would miss … Continue reading Tropical life

Pligxok waved his key-fob. His craft beeped and then disappeared behind its cloaking device. He loved that feature—it had been worth the extra fifty thousand kritoks, regardless of what his wife said. He adjusted his facial-mirroring device, pulled on his brown gloves, and then tugged on his tunic until it covered the bulge showing like […]

My family has made a wild and wonderful decision for our immediate future: we are going to move to Costa Rica for at least a year. “What?” some of you gasp. “Why on earth would they do that?” Well people, it’s because when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. CLICHE ALERT!  [Come on, Mara. You’re a […]

I’m running an Amazon Giveaway for Matchmaker of Magics for the next 21 days. Here’s your chance to win a fabulous (if I do say so myself) young-adult, speculative fiction novel filled with adventure, unrequited and requited love, angst, dangerous creatures and people, and oh yes, magic!                 […]

For you intrepid readers who saw my last blog entry, you might notice a theme of physical ailments and my whining complaints that accompanying them. My hope is you can have a giggle at my expense. Personal pain as inspiration for writing; not a new concept at all. Ten ways to effectively break your back…’cuz I […]

A short story of fun… “Song for the Basilisk,” Ted read, peering at the paperback in his hand. He glanced up at Amita. “What do you think this is about? Aren’t basilisks snakes? They don’t sing.” “It says ‘Song for the Basilisk, not ‘by the Basilisk’,” Amita said, raising her eyes from the book in […]

Too much mousing. That’s what’s done it–the hurting wrist. I’ve given my website a make-over, and that involved a whole lot of mouse use, and now I’m paying the price. But, the site looks pretty good. That’s a plus. Some might say that I’ve spent the last two days on my website as a way […]

I attended a master writer’s workshop taught by Jacquelyn Mitchard last week. It was so fantastic–the group of other writers, Jackie, the copious amounts of tea I drank all day long, and the in depth analysis of the elements of a novel. Took me back to my days as an undergrad in English Literature, but this […]