“The Many Faces of Ito” is . . . delightful.

The Japanese TV Drama, "The Many Faces of Ito" has it all and then some. I binge-watched it when it debuted on Netflix and may mostly re-watch it. Why? Unrequited love. Misunderstandings. Best Friends Forever Betrayal. Oh. My. Goodies! The series is mostly about Rio Yazaki, a jaded rom-com screenwriter who is struggling to make …

2018 Year-End Reflection – Menu Style – Let’s Start Celebrating!

Pixabay Free Images First, thank you for visiting! 🙂 It's good to be back! Lately, I've been spending more time with my family, settling myself in a new-ish job, polishing a YA novel I've been working on for months (getting ready for #PitchWars), and writing the first draft of an adult fantasy with an erotic …

The War of the Genres and Why Fantasy Writing isn’t for Everyone! (I Feel Your Pain, George R.R. Martin)!

I love reading all kinds of genres. Whether it be poems, song lyrics, autobiographies, recipes, etc. I'm not a picky reader. In this post, I'll discuss something few talk about. The War of the Genres! Publish America and the Hasty Generalization That Pissed Off the Science Fiction and Fantasy Community Almost twenty years ago, a …

Goal: At Least 50 REJECTIONS a YEAR? No Problem, Let’s Go Crazy!

Typically, rejection doesn't hold a positive connotation. And why would it? Rejection is painful. When I was much younger writer, I often didn't bother submitting my work because I didn't think it would be accepted. Plenty of times while writing a query letter or a cover letter, the part that always froze me up was …

Don’t Know About You, but I Need a Little Motivation.

Writer's Digest just completed their judging for the Popular Fiction Awards and even though I considered I wouldn't win first place, I thought I'd at least get an honorable mention. 😦 Nope. Nada. Nothing. I'm bummed right now. I don't know what to do with this story. I've sent it to so many places and …

2017 Year-End Reflection AND 10 Reasons Why I Plan on 2018 Being Even Better!

Soon, the year 2018 will roll on in. Looking back to all that I've accomplished, in spite of the struggle and medical hardships (yup, maybe I'll share that someday), I can finally admit that I'm amazed and proud of myself. Before I sat down to type this post, I had to think back on every …

Stellaluna, The Evolution of Picture Books, and the Excuse of Short Attention Spans

  Earlier today I visited my local Barnes & Noble to purchase The Book. This book shall remain a mystery until a future post. 🙂 Anyway, I enjoyed a lovely conversation with a grandmother who is also a writer. She popped into the bookstore to purchase the gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written picture book, "Stellaluna" …

What Do Recurring Themes Say About You as a Writer?

According to HowStuffWorks.com, Many people have the same or a similar dream many times, over either a short period of time or their lifetime. Recurring dreams usually mean there is something in your life you've not acknowledged that is causing stress of some sort. ... In this case, the dreams tend to lessen with time. I've had recurring dreams, but the …

How Million Yen Women Inspired My Revised Author Wish List!

On Twitter, I discovered this hashtag: #MSWL. For those of you who don't know, it stands for Manuscript Wish List. There's even a website dedicated to this where agents and editors can share with writers what kind of manuscripts they specifically want in their inboxes! Groovy, baby. Just groovy. As a writer, I've always had …

Racism? You Don’t Say?

A discussion came up on Facebook regarding the apparent lack of diversity in publishing when Martha Boss, book blogger, educator, and model shared her opinion regarding the lack of diversity at book events. She explained that she had no desire to attend any literary events that didn't have authors from all walks of life. And …