The Girl Who Came for Christmas — With sculpted cheekbones, warm brown eyes, and an elegant figure, the girl stood out from the crowd. But it wasn’t her beauty that drew me to her. It was the haunted expression in her eyes. Together with sixty other background performers, we were on the set of a Christmas movie…

How a tiny black and white cat brought joy to a family struggling through the pandemic. — All my life, I’ve been a dog person. I don’t mind cats. They’re cute enough, I suppose, albeit in an annoyingly independent way. It’s just that the canines of the world have always taken top billing in my heart. …

Sometimes it’s difficult to decide if someone sharing your words is a compliment or a theft. — Pla·gia·rism: the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Earlier this year, I wrote a piece called Things I Wish I’d Known Before Submitting My Writing. Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Started Submitting My Writing A few tips to help new writers avoid the same mistakes I made.medium.com

Me, I suffered from poor focus, loss of inspiration, decreasing creativity. — My 2020’s lofty goals included: write 12 short stories, one a month for the entire year, and sell at least two have at least one short story published in print. receive 30 rejections for my short-form work finish the edits from my agent for my young adult novel have agent send said manuscript out on…

I’ve had blue-pencil sessions with six of the best in the business. Here are some of the most useful things I’ve learned. — Blue Pencil Session: A fifteen-minute session where a professional author or editor reviews three double-spaced pages of your work and discusses it with you. The writing tips gained from these sessions have the ability to raise your writing to a whole new level. I’ve attended the Surrey International Writer’s Conference, (SiWC) in my opinion, one of the best writing conferences around, every year for the past five years. …

Recently, I had the opportunity to chat with a bright new force in the agenting world. — Pull up a chair, get comfortable, and listen in on my conversation with literary agent, Stacey Kondla. LAW: Thank you so much for agreeing to let me interview you, Stacey. I’m truly grateful to have a chance to chat with you. SK: Thank you for thinking of me!! It’s so exciting! LAW: This has been quite a journey for you. When we first met, you were a…

A quick trip to a friend’s timeshare just across the border in Blaine Washington turned out to be more complicated than I expected. — The world is in turmoil, unprecedented turmoil, thanks to a novel coronavirus spreading like wildfire across the globe. I have no idea how badly this is going to impact the world’s economy, but that it will have a huge impact is undeniable. I’m blessed, in so many ways. So far…

Flash fiction — “Randal!” Where the hell was that stupid dog? This was the third time this week he’d pissed inside. She was alone now, no one but her to let him out, so he had to be in the house. But she’d searched every damn room. Sasha McLean stomped down the stairs…

A few of the most sexist things I’ve dealt with working as a female physiotherapist in private practice. — Recently, an author friend of mine sent out a survey. She’s working on a possible novel idea, and decided to poll the women in her life. To see if any of us had been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace. …